Unwilling
by Gaara's Plaything
Summary: An arranged marriage is set up between Suna and Konoha, but the so called lucky couple are unwilling pawns in the political whims of their two villages. Stupid summary, but the stoy's better, hopefully. GaaSaku. Rated M for lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Please enjoy this story!**

**Naruto is not mine.**

_**Unwilling**_

**Chapter One**

Standing on the balcony and looking out over at the hidden village and the desert beyond it stood a figure dressed in formal blue and white robes accompanied with a wide hat and a _b__ē__ru _covering the bottom half of his face. Those who saw this person and knew what the clothes meant would know that they were looking at the leader of the village, the Kazekage, and the fifth to hold that title.

People also knew that if they were standing close enough to him, they might even catch a glimpse of hard jade eyes framed with black rings caused by years of insomnia. And if he moved his head back slightly, a red tattoo of the kanji for love might even be observed. Of course, this was only if they were near him, but where he was standing was a place that only officials or his family (his brother and sister) were ever allowed to be.

This man, the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure, the village hidden in Sand, was called Sabaku no Gaara, and he was waiting on a messenger hawk from their closest and strongest ally. The village hidden in leaves, Konohagakure in the land of fire. Only three days ago he'd been in the village to discuss their trade negotiations and had only arrived back in Suna less than an hour ago. But the biggest topic for discussion had been the alliance between the two villages, and any and all things that could be done to solidify it.

Thinking of what the council in Konoha had proposed, Gaara's lips curled slightly in disgust, especially when he thought of the fact that the elders of his own village that had accompanied him had agreed to it. Meddling in his personal affairs was something that he'd warned long ago would not be tolerated, but he figured that they'd decided to use their age as an excuse to 'conveniently' forget what he'd told them. Right now, they should be glad he'd left them to make their own way back to Suna! (There were jounin there to protect those bastards, so he hadn't _entirely_ abandoned them)

They wanted him to get married, but not to just anyone. Only a bride from Konoha would do, because apparently this would permanently seal the deal between their two villages. He resisted the urge to snort in disgust at their excuses, especially since the alliance between Suna and Konoha was as strong as ever. It was just another method in which they could interfere in a way they had no real right to.

Personally, Gaara couldn't wait until Naruto took over as the sixth Hokage, because he knew that the loud mouth would have been completely on _his_ side instead of the council's and the elder's. Tsunade was a great Hokage, but the fact that she'd even considered agreeing to this ridiculous proposal had lowered his opinion of her more than just slightly. She was cracking under the pressure of her council elders, and the inevitable prospect of her complete break-down was extremely unappealing to him.

Sighing, he turned as he sensed a presence behind him, one he knew, so he did not need to worry about going on the offensive. As he watched his brother Kankurou approach, he let the brief thought of disappearing from Suna for awhile flit through his mind before dismissing it entirely. As he came closer, Kankurou saw the flicker in his eyes and gave him a knowing grin.

"I know that look," he said. "Let me guess, while you were in Konoha, the council made suggestions you hated, and those stupid elders agreed to them?"

Removing the _b__ē__ru _from his face, a scowling Gaara was revealed. "Those idiots all want me to marry a Konoha woman," he positively glowered.

Kankurou's eyebrow was raised a fraction, then he sighed. "Is it really so unexpected?" he asked. "They probably said that it would benefit the alliance, and it would certainly do that, but you really should have seen it coming."

"I did," Gaara said curtly, "and I'd already warned them not to interfere with my personal life, but they've ignored the warning."

Kankurou snorted in disgust. "When have they ever really listened to you about this sort of thing?" he asked. "They've made it their business for some time to interfere in all three of our lives!"

The cry of a hawk interrupted whatever Gaara was about to say, and he looked up at the sky, hat coming off as he stared at the bird, noting the Konoha emblem on it. It was the one he was waiting for, and he disappeared in a swirl of sand, leaving his brother behind as he reappeared in the aviary where the hawks were kept. The man in charge there took a moment to notice his presence, so caught up in his birds was he. To have something that you were _that_ passionate about, Gaara almost envied him.

"Shikio."

The man in question jumped a mile at the sound of his Kazekage's voice, and he turned to see him standing there with an indecipherable look on his face.

"Kazekage-sama!" he exclaimed. "Uh... you're here for the message, aren't you?"

The man was astute, he had to give him that. Gaara stared at the man until he fumbled with the leg of the bird, finally producing a tube containing the message that he awaited. Once again using his sand to transport him, Gaara rematerialised in his home, indifferently discarding the hat and busying himself with unravelling the message in his hands. Its contents were of no surprise to him; Tsunade had agreed to the marriage and would soon be sending him the information on the 'lucky' candidate.

Despite the circumstances, he hoped that it would be a kunoichi that she chose. That way, he wouldn't have to concern himself with the woman's welfare too much as she would be most likely able to look after herself. Anyone else would probably require constant guarding, and that would end up using resources and man power that would be better served elsewhere.

Deciding that he was overdue for a shower, Gaara made his way towards his bathroom, wondering how on earth he was going to deal with this new complication in his life.

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A woman stood on the edge of the forest, looking out at a village that she hadn't seen in months. It was her home village, and she was definitely glad to be back. The young woman was attired in the standard Anbu gear, her hawk-like mask concealing her features, but the strand of cherry pink hair that fell from behind her hood was a dead give-away as to her identity; at least, to those who either knew her or just knew of her.

Haruno Sakura had just returned from a six month mission that had unexpectedly turned into an eight month one, and she was relieved that it was finally over. The unexpected delay in her return, she knew, had caused her to miss an important event in her best friend Ino's life; her wedding. She knew there was no way that it would have been delayed (Sakura would have throttled Ino if she'd tried) especially since it had taken some effort on Ino's part to snag her team mate, Shikamaru, in the first place.

The guy's total laziness had contributed to this, and Ino'd had to enlist Chouji's help to even get a proposal out of him. But it had all been worth it; the two of them were made for each other. Sakura smiled slightly and wondered if there was anyone out there that was made for her as well. Ever since her rather disastrous crush on her former team mate, Uchiha Sasuke, there hadn't really been anyone that she'd felt close to. There wasn't a single guy (or girl, she wasn't picky) that she'd felt that sort of connection with, and she was beginning to wonder if there was anyone out there for her at all.

Sighing, Sakura leapt down from the spot in the trees that she'd been standing and made her way to Konoha's main gate. The guard there immediately stood to attention when he saw her uniform and let her pass. Once inside the gates, she let herself relax and removed her mask, revealing her face to the world (well actually, just to the residents of Konoha). It was good to be home, she decided and immediately took off to the Hokage's office to give her report.

Lady Tsunade, the fifth Hokage and mentor to Sakura was fast asleep, the presence of the saké bottles an indication of the cause. Sighing, Sakura leaned over the desk and yelled, "THE VILLAGE IS OUT OF SAKÉ!"

Tsunade was up and out of her chair in an instant. "Who..? What the...? NO SAKÉ!? How the hell did that happen? I got that order in only..."

She stopped at the sight of her protégé doubled over with laughter.

"SAKURA! DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT!" she yelled.

Cackling evilly, Sakura straightened up and laid the mission scrolls on the desk, saying, "Sorry shishou, I couldn't resist!"

Tsunade glared at her, sat back down and practically snatched one of the scrolls off the table to peruse. "Watch it, missy, or I'll send you on a ten year mission to Rain!"

Sakura's only response to that threat was a roll of her eyes.

"Mission accomplished," she told the simmering Hokage. "Everything went off without a hitch, except that damned bastard from Waterfall was late, and that's why I am as well."

Tsunade nodded. "We got word that he might be delayed," she mused, then straightened in her seat. "Alright, you go get some rest, catch up with friends, etcetera, etcetera, and I'll see you bright and early in the morning!"

Sakura nodded and left the office, fully intending on hunting down Naruto and making him buy her food, after she'd bathed, of course.

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Tsunade sighed. She really should have told Sakura what she had planned, but figured that giving her one night of catching up with her friends wouldn't hurt the situation too badly. Tomorrow she would tell her, and brace herself for when all hell was let loose. There was _no way_ that her protégé would be too happy with her decision to send her to Sand.

_AN: Bē__ru_ means veil.

**Hope you liked, please review!**

**Working as hard as I can on my other stories, should have a couple more chapters out in a couple of days at least.**


	2. Chapter 2

**New chapter! I've been so busy with work lately that I haven't had the time or energy to do much writing, but I've managed to concentrate enough for this. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Naruto stuff doesn't belong to me at all.**

**Chapter Two**

Light flickered over her features as she slowly rose from the land of slumber. Sakura groaned at the warmth of the sun on her face and cracked an eye open, glancing at her clock to see that it wasn't even seven yet. Still, there was probably no point in staying in bed, what with the sun in her eyes and all. So she rolled over, took a deep breath, sighed it out and slowly sat up.

There wasn't really anything much for her to do that day. Having come home from a long mission only yesterday, she was entitled to one day off (unless of course there was an emergency, or there were missions, but not enough people to do them, like ages ago after the Third had died). Still, that didn't mean that Tsunade wouldn't send for her, tell her to get her butt to the hospital or something.

Rising from her bed, she made her way to the bathroom, intending on freshening up before having her breakfast, Sakura wondered where Naruto was. She hadn't been able to find him yesterday; perhaps he was on a mission? But she would try again today. She wanted to see her friend. An hour later she was out of her apartment, heading for Naruto's, but with the intention of stopping at Ichiraku's first, since it was on the way.

As she approached the ramen shop, she could see that there were a few people there, and she instantly recognised the orange of Naruto's usual attire, and as she got closer, two of the others were revealed to be Hinata and Kiba. But who was the fourth person? That question was answered once she entered the ramen stand. It was Temari.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, leaping up to greet his best friend and team mate, engulfing her in a massive hug. "You're back finally! How did it go? Did you beat up the bad guys?"

Peeling him off of her, Sakura sat down and ordered a bowl. "The mission was fine," she told him, "and no, I didn't beat anyone up. It was recon only."

It was only a tiny white lie, but the mission details were classified, after all.

The five of them enjoyed their breakfast, chatting about all sorts of things, and Sakura noticed that her four companions seemed to be paired off; Hinata and Kiba, Temari and Naruto. Everyone knew that Hinata and Kiba were dating, but what was with Naruto and Temari? Sakura wondered at this piece of information. As they finished, there was a poof behind them and they all turned to see an Anbu behind them, and Sakura instantly recognised the eagle mask as the one Neji wore, and sure enough, when he removed his mask, she was proven correct.

"Niisan?" Hinata's voice was curious and a little confused.

"Hinata-sama," Neji greeted, sending an imperceptible glare at Kiba, who looked like he wanted to disappear. Then Neji turned to Sakura.

"Haruno," he said in a clipped voice. "The Hokage wishes to see you as soon as possible."

Sakura inclined her head and Neji disappeared.

"Wonder what baa-chan wants to see you for?" Naruto mused, and Sakura wondered the same thing.

But no answers would be forthcoming if she just sat there, and so she stood, laying money for her meal on the bench.

"I'll see you later, Naruto, you guys," she said, giving them a slight wave before disappearing in a flurry of leaves.

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"Hmph, I wonder what that old bat wants from her?"

Naruto's words had Temari thinking. Could it be what she had suspected the last time she saw the Hokage? Gaara had been here then, and he'd stormed out of the meeting they'd been having, furious at the elders, the council and also Tsunade herself. That had been five days ago, and he'd left the following day. Could it be that Lady Tsunade was considering Sakura to be the one she chose to marry Gaara? Not that she would mind too much, they got along alright.

It was something to think about, that was for sure. Temari watched as Naruto loudly complained about the Hokage, and she really wondered, as she did every now and then these days, just what she saw in the loud mouth.

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Sakura took the steps to Tsunade's office two at a time, going along the corridor and knocking sharply upon the door.

"Enter!"

Her mentor sounded pissed, she noted, as she pushed the door open, revealing a red faced and furious looking Hokage. But for some reason, when Tsunade looked up, the expression faded and she looked resigned instead. What was that all about? She wondered if she'd find out.

"Sakura," Tsunade greeted, "I'm glad you're here. There's something I need to discuss with you, and I know you're not going to like it, but after I tell you, I would really like for you to consider the bigger picture, if you could."

More curious than a cat, Sakura nodded and came forward to sit in the chair that Tsunade indicated.

"Four weeks ago the Kazekage arrived with a number of his elders to discuss trade and other things pertinent to our alliance and the general interaction of our two villages, whether civilian or shinobi related," the Hokage stated, sounding like she was working up a big explanation before... whatever she was doing. "A number of agreements were made, a few were unmade and there was one that was on a more delicate matter. The Suna elders and our own council wish to more permanently seal the alliance with an unbreakable bond, one that I have reluctantly agreed to, as has the Kazekage. Although he was obviously more reluctant than I was."

"What is it, shishou?" Sakura asked, absolutely burning to know what it was, yet feeling like something bad was about to happen at the same time.

"It was agreed for us to give one of our own as a bride to the Kazekage."

Sakura was shocked, but after a moment she realised that it _would_ actually benefit the alliance, and probably prevent any sort of repeats of what had happened at the chuunin exam years ago. Not that she thought it would happen, especially not with Gaara in charge. He had his own ties to this village, being his friendships with both Naruto and Lee. But Tsunade's next words had her stiffening in her seat.

"I decided that it would be more prudent for a kunoichi to be the one I sent," she said, "and, after reviewing the entire list of possibilities that I thought would be up to the task, I decided. Sakura, I've chosen you."

_Her?_ She'd chosen _her_?

Tsunade had obviously seen Sakura's sudden rigidity and the expression that she just knew was on her face, for she quickly added, "Believe me, Sakura, I agonised over this decision, and I did not reach it lightly. But you _are_ the best choice, if you were to think about it. Your temperament is enough to be able to handle Gaara's own personality, plus you're also strong enough to stand up to him in a fight if necessary. Besides, you are both already acquainted through your connection with Naruto."

Everything Tsunade said made sense, but Sakura couldn't help the feelings of anger and helplessness that coursed through her. Anger, because her mentor had taken it upon herself to arrange possibly the rest of her life for her. Helplessness, because she knew that she had to do it, it was her duty as a Leaf shinobi to obey her Hokage, and besides, it _was_ for the good of the alliance, no matter how much it totally sucked.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura said, "I understand, shishou."

A brief look of relief mingled with surprise crossed Tsunade's features, and she wondered if the woman had expected her to blow up and possibly destroy something. Not that she wasn't considering it, but maybe later, at the training grounds, where she wouldn't get into trouble for destroying someone else's property.

"You'll have to leave in at least a week, a fortnight at most," the fifth Hokage informed her. "They want you to be there in time to have the wedding during one of their festivals, and there is a lot that needs to be planned, apparently."

Nodding, Sakura stood and looked at her mentor, silently asking permission to be dismissed. It was given, but before she left, Tsunade said, "I'm truly sorry, Sakura."

The pink haired woman shut the door behind her and didn't look back.

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Sakura wandered for ages, her mind a whirl. Marriage. To Gaara. Could she really do it? The answer was firm. Yes. For her village, she could do it. Even though it wasn't what she really wanted, but her duty to her village was important to her. But she couldn't help thinking what it would be like, being married to him. Would it be all for show, nothing but a charade, a window dressed union? Or would it be required to be real? Was she expected to have children? She'd always wanted kids, but could she really bring them into a marriage that threatened to be loveless?

And then there was Gaara himself. What did _he_ expect from this? Did he really agree to this, or was he perhaps overruled by the council and his elders? Was he going to make this marriage real, or demand that she keep her distance from him? Tsunade had said one of the reasons that she'd been chosen had been because they were 'acquainted'. But that was putting it generously. Gaara had never really said more than two words to her in all the years they'd been 'acquainted', and the reverse was true as well. Whenever Gaara came to Konoha, he really only associated with Naruto and sometimes Lee, and whenever he was in the same room as her, they never even came anywhere near close to each other.

Sighing loudly, Sakura mentally resigned herself to worrying over the topic until it could be made into some sort of sense. Everything was totally chaotic right now, and she didn't think that she had the capacity to pick apart every detail until she'd had a chance to sleep on it. But that possibility was far away, as it was still quite early in the day. Yet she still needed to talk over it with _someone_, and pretty soon, she found herself heading in a direction she'd known from the start that she'd eventually take.

Making her way through the streets of Konoha, she wondered how often she would get to come back, if only for fleeting visits. She loved this village, and there was no way she would allow anyone to prevent her from coming back to it again, no matter who they were. Finally she reached her destination, a non-descript house in the middle of a busy residential area. Drumming up her courage (for informing the ones on the other side of the door of her predicament) she knocked on the door, her face softening at the sight of the middle aged woman who answered the door.

"Can I come in?" she asked. "I really need to talk to you, okāsan."

**No Gaara, but he'll be in the next chapter, I swear!**

**Please review, I like hearing (reading) what people think.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Another chapter done! I was working on this when I really should have been doing something with my other two as well, but I've been on a roll with this one. I've even got another chapter finished, but I'll be putting that up in a few days. Until then, enjoy!**

**Naruto stuff don't belong to me.**

**Chapter Three**

That night Sakura had to face her friends to tell them what was happening. She just knew that Naruto was going to blow his top at the high handedness of the council and the Hokage, and he'd probably have a few choice words about the Suna elders, too. She was mildly curious about what he'd say about the fact that Gaara had agreed to all of this, albeit reluctantly, according to Tsunade.

Taking a deep breath, she let it all out in a whoosh then entered the restaurant where all of her friends that weren't out on missions (or on their honeymoon) had decided to meet tonight. Her arrival was noted by Naruto, Temari, Hinata, Kiba, Chouji, Shino, Lee, Tenten and Neji. There were three couples in tonight, Naruto and Temari, Hinata and Kiba and Lee and Tenten. All of the other guys either didn't have girlfriends or their significant other's were missing. Sakura knew for a fact that Chouji was seeing a nice civilian girl, but she didn't think that Shino or Neji were seeing anyone at all.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Naruto greeted her, and she immediately went over to where he and Temari were, seating herself between Naruto and Shino.

"Hey, Naruto," Sakura greeted him, then greeted the others as well.

"Where've you been all day, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, a little bit of a whine in his voice. "Me, Kakashi-sensei and Sai bastard were hoping you'd join us for lunch!"

Sakura smiled slightly. "I was at my parent's place," she told him, and he immediately gave an understanding nod.

Sakura's life as a shinobi and a medic often had her away from the village on missions, and she always made sure that she made the time to see her parents when she was able. Her mother always worried over her when she was away, a fear that she was accustomed to, though, as Sakura's father was also a shinobi. It didn't make it any easier on her, though. She simply worried more.

Taking a deep breath to gather her courage, Sakura allowed herself to simply blurt out the main reason she'd gone to see her parents. "I had to tell them that I'm leaving Konoha for Suna."

There were shocked gasps and surprised looks from all who were seated at their table, but she noticed that Temari didn't look too surprised. Of course, she'd know about the arranged marriage, and probably had been expecting this. Sakura made a mental note to have a talk with her about it, and soon, too.

"Why are you going to Suna, Sakura?" Tenten asked.

The words caught in the back of her throat and she found she couldn't speak, but Temari noticed this and spoke for her. "She's going so that the Konoha and Suna alliance can be strengthened," she told them. "It was agreed upon a few days or so ago when Gaara was here."

"What are you going to do there, Sakura-chan?"

Naruto's question unblocked the clog in Sakura's throat and she said simply, "I'm going to be marrying Gaara."

The ensuing silence was deafening, at least until Naruto broke it. Who else, really?

"WHAAAAAAAT?!?!?!?!"

Hands were clapped over ears at the screeching yell that issued forth from Naruto's mouth, and several pairs of eyes first glared at him, then turned to Sakura and Temari to find out what was going on.

"You're marrying Gaara?" Hinata asked.

Sakura nodded. "Apparently Tsunade-shishou decided that I've got the best qualities to handle this, so I have to leave within the week so that the necessary preparations can be made."

Temari nodded. "I know that the elders want Gaara married at the festival," she informed them. "They think it would be good for the morale of our village."

Naruto now came out of the state of shock that he'd been in. "You knew about this?" he demanded of his girlfriend. "YOU KNEW?! HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN? IT'S SAKURA-CHAN, FOR KAMI'S SAKE!!!"

"NARUTO! Stop yelling!" Sakura hollered.

Temari looked a little downcast. "I knew that someone was going to marry Gaara," she admitted. "But I didn't know it was going to be Sakura, honest! I mean, I suspected it this morning when Tsunade sent for her, but I wasn't sure!"

"Does Gaara know who he's marrying?" The question came from Neji, and Temari shrugged.

"He may by now," she said. "Tsunade has probably already sent a hawk with the news. It depends on when she sent it, really."

Naruto was glaring at everyone and everything, and Sakura's heart ached at the sight of her friend so angry about the turn of events. But despite his obvious dislike of the idea, she knew she was going to go through with it. The talk she'd had with her mother and father earlier that day had cinched it for her. Still, she had to make sure that Naruto wasn't going to go and do something stupid.

"Naruto," she said, and he turned his sullen gaze on her. "I'm sorry that I'm leaving, but it's not like we'll never see each other again. You can come visit me anytime, and I'll make sure that I come back here for visits too. After all, no matter what, Konoha is my home."

Naruto's gaze softened slightly, and he said, "If you don't come visit, I'll go to Suna and beat up Gaara so you can come here, datte-bayo!"

"It's a deal," she told him, and grunted when he hugged her.

"I'm gonna miss you, Sakura-chan," he said. "If Gaara doesn't look after you, I'm gonna bring you back here so we can all protect you!"

Sakura smiled at this and thought she was so lucky to have a friend like Naruto.

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The bird handler, Shikio, was busy attending to his hawks when the cry of a new arrival caught his attention. Looking up, he saw one of the official Konoha hawks descending towards the aviary. When it landed, he immediately held out a hand that held a treat, and it ate eagerly. He then removed the tube from its leg and pulled out the scroll that was inside. The official seal of the Hokage of Konoha was affixed to it, so he immediately went to the exit of the aviary and silently handed it over to the chuunin there before returning to his birds.

The chuunin, whose name was Mitsuo, made it to the Kazekage's tower in record time. The scroll in his hand bore the official Konoha seal, after all, and if he dawdled, he'd get in to a lot of trouble, and that wasn't something he wanted, especially not right now. He had too much going for him to piss off the Kazekage, so he hurried, knowing that the bird's arrival would already be known to the man.

Sitting in his office, Gaara was busy attending to his paper work when his secretary announced that there was a chuunin here to see him. Knowing that he was here with the scroll that had just arrived, he uttered a curt 'send him in' and waited until his command was obeyed. The chuunin (he forgot his name) came in and placed the scroll on the desk, bowing and leaving when he was dismissed with a wave of a hand.

Gaara stared long and hard at the scroll, not really wanting to look at it because he knew what it would contain. Finally, after much glaring at the offending parchment, he sighed and picked it up, unravelling it and preparing himself for the worst. (That being that he was going to be stuck with a useless woman who didn't know one end of a kunai from the other)

Before he could read it, though, his brother barged into the room.

"Hey, Gaara," Kankurou greeted. "I've got the stats you wanted for the performance evaluations for the gennin that are going for the chuunin exams next."

Sighing, Gaara put the scroll down and took the one that his brother held out to him. The never ending paper work was already getting on his nerves enough today without more being added to it.

After a brief perusal of the performance stats, Gaara asked, "Have you been by the hospital for the monthly reports on the medic's work?"

Kankurou shook his head. "I've been swamped with stuff," he said. "I've been doing everything Temari's supposed to be doing when she's here. Man, I can't wait until she gets back. When is she coming home, by the way?"

"She'll be coming back with my fiancée."

Kankurou raised his eyebrow. "Do you know who it is, yet?" he asked.

Gaara picked up the scroll and held it up. "It's all right here," he said, and rolled it out, reading over the contents.

To say he was shocked was to say the least. Tsunade was sending her protégé to marry him? Sakura was the last person he'd expected to be chosen. Her medic skills were, he'd always thought, too valuable for Konoha to risk losing, and he knew for a fact that Tsunade had not been pleased when the pinkette had made it into Anbu. But skilled medics were valuable in the field, so she'd really had no choice.

"Well?" Kankurou's voice shook him out of his shock, and Gaara looked up to see his brother staring at him curiously. "Whoever it is, you're obviously surprised. So tell me, who is it?"

"Haruno Sakura."

Kankurou's jaw dropped in shock. Gaara's brain was still echoing that sentiment.

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The following day in Konoha, Sakura was carefully going through her things, deciding on what to take with her and what to leave behind. She and Temari had agreed to leave in four days to give her plenty of time to sort out her affairs before they left, and Sakura was going to let her mother and the rest of her family deal with anything that she left behind. When the actual day for the wedding came around, both of her parents were going to be there, as well as all of her closest friends.

Ino and Shikamaru were due back in a couple of days, and Sakura was glad that she was going to get a chance to say good-bye to her best friend before she left. It just wouldn't seem right leaving without seeing Ino one last time. The night before she left there was going to be a big party to farewell her, and Sakura wasn't really looking forward to all the good-byes; she just knew that she was going to end up in tears. All of these people who meant so much to her, with whom she'd been through so much with, especially Naruto and Kakashi-sensei.

Sighing once more, she continued to go through her things. There was a whole house worth of stuff to sort, and though she knew she couldn't take everything with her, none of her most precious belongings would remain behind. If only she could take everything with her, but still, at least it wasn't like she'd have to get rid of them. They'd always be there for her, just like her friends would, waiting for the day when she needed them again.

Overwhelmed suddenly by the intensity of emotions this thought stirred, Sakura sat down on a nearby chair and allowed herself a moment to cry before wiping her tears away and resolutely returning to her task.

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**Ok, so I hoped you liked it. Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's chapter four, ready and waiting! Enjoy.**

**Naruto's not mine.**

**Chapter Four**

The time had come for her to leave. Sakura had spent the last few days spending time with her friends, and they had been determined to spoil her silly before she left. Hinata, Ino and Tenten had taken her shopping, their treat, for new clothes that she would need in Suna. Temari had advised on what was best for the climate, and had even pitched in for some things herself.

Naruto had plied her with a ton of ramen, determined that she wouldn't forget the taste when she went to Suna.

"Baka!" Temari had berated him. "There's ramen in Suna!"

Kakashi and Sai had also given her gifts. Sai's had been a portrait of team seven, and though Sakura couldn't take it with her on the trip to Suna, Temari had assured her that she could send it there, so there would be no problem. Kakashi had bought her a new katana, one he knew she'd had her eyes on. The blade was polished steel, with gold filigree near the handle, which itself was cherry blossom pink and also inlaid with gold, matching its scabbard.

Sakura could have cried at this gift, and Kakashi said, "Hey, it's not like it was that expensive!"

"But it's not cheap, either," she berated him, sniffling a little.

He shrugged. "It was the least I could do, anyway," he informed her, making her want to cry again.

"You know I'll never use it," she told him, sniffling a little. "It's mostly for decoration, anyway." Kakashi'd just shrugged.

Now, however, it was time to go, and Sakura stood in her house, looking around one last time before leaving. She had so many good memories here, and the fact that there wouldn't be anymore was making her want to break down into tears. But she wouldn't; she would remain strong. No longer was she that weak, emotional little girl anymore. She could control her emotions!

"Hey, Sakura, you coming?"

The sound of Temari's voice called to her through her slight daze, and Sakura practically ran out of there, not wanting to dwell on the life she was giving up.

"I'm coming!" she called as she ran, and once outside, both women fell into step together as they walked towards the main gates where, undoubtedly, all of their friends were waiting for that final farewell.

She was right, for the most part. Not everyone was there, but her closest friend's were. Naruto, Hinata, Ino, Shikamaru, Sai and Kakashi-sensei. Temari was standing a little apart from them, seemingly trying to remain apart, since she was technically taking Sakura away from them. Sakura sighed. She hoped that Temari wasn't going to be so distant for the next couple of days or so.

Naruto immediately barrelled into her, giving her one heck of a bear hug. "We'll miss you, Sakura-chan!" he declared, and Sakura had to forcefully remove him from her so that the others could say good-bye as well.

One by one they each gave her their own version of the hug Naruto had given her (only Ino's came close to matching the rib cracker dealt by the hyper Kyuubi container) and finally it was time to go. Ino was in tears as she made Sakura swear never to lose touch, and the pinkette promised. Then she and Temari left, Sakura making sure she turned back every now and then to see the faces of her friends until they were out of sight.

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Gaara stood in the hallway of his home, staring at the boxes that were in the room before him. Really, he'd expected more of them, since even though Sakura was a kunoichi, she was still female, and they tended to have more stuff than was necessary. As it was, it seemed that all that had been sent ahead were two suitcases full of clothes, two boxes of stuff that included medical texts and ninja equipment alongside little ornaments and some other totally useless stuff. Plus there was a carefully wrapped painting, though he had no idea what it was of.

Right now, Gaara was holding a katana, one that looked like it had been made for Sakura, since it was cherry blossom pink, and he wondered who'd given it to her. Or maybe she'd bought it herself? Normally he wouldn't go through people's things, but a couple of servants had taken it upon themselves to unpack everything in preparation for Sakura's arrival. They really should have waited, he thought, and he was convinced that she was going to want to punch someone for it.

He sighed, then carefully put the katana on the desk before turning and leaving the room. Another thing that he knew that Sakura was going to be mad about was the fact that all of her things had been put into _his_ room. It was a Suna custom that when a couple got engaged, they were already as good as married, and were well within their rights to then move in together. He also figured that the elders were hoping that living in close quarters with one another would help them to 'get to know' one another. They really wanted them to start having children right away, though they were smart enough not to say anything to him about it directly. Yet. They were probably just biding their time.

Snorting in disgust at the thought of the elders, Gaara made his way to the kitchen to have something to eat. Having children was not something he really cared about, but if Sakura wanted them, then he supposed he could, one day. But he didn't even know if they would be compatible in that department. They'd hardly ever spoken to each other. The most words she'd ever spoken to him was to check if he was injured after a mission he'd assisted with once in Konoha. And the most he'd ever spoken to her was to tell her that of course he wasn't injured; he had his sand.

Gaara had now reached the kitchen, and he found Kankurou there, already eating.

"Hey bro," the puppet master greeted him. "How's it going?"

"Hn."

The grunt was his only reply as he made a beeline for the fridge. After a moment of rummaging around, he found something quick and easy and sat on a stool to eat his food.

"So, Sakura should be here tomorrow," Kankurou said, making small talk. "Has her stuff been put away yet?"

Gaara nodded. "She's probably going to flip about it," he commented.

Sighing, Kankurou stated, "I don't think that we should worry about her flipping over that. You didn't hear this from me, but the elders are planning on putting in a clause on the marriage contract for her to be at least pregnant within a year."

Almost choking on his food, Gaara lowered it and asked dangerously, "They're what?"

Kankurou rolled his eyes. "They want the two of you to have an heir," he all but repeated. "And soon, too."

This was the last straw. While he knew he'd be able to handle the suggestion that they have kids, practically forcing them was another matter entirely, and Gaara stood and disappeared in a whirl of sand, only to reappear in his office. Striding out and into the hall, he headed towards the elder council chambers to give those idiots a piece of his mind.

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Temari had finally loosened up enough to be entertaining on their journey, and she and Sakura talked and laughed about everything and nothing as they made their way to Suna. A couple of times they ran into other shinobi; once it was an Anbu team headed back from a mission and the other was a couple of low class rogues who thought it might be fun to harass them. But they were no match for Temari's wind jutsus and Sakura's charka laden fists.

Now they were almost at Suna, and Sakura had been silent for awhile now, which she knew was kinda freaking Temari out at that point. But the pink haired Anbu medic felt that she had a right to be moody at this point, since she was about to be faced with a life that had already taken her away from everything and everyone that she loved. But she tried not to be too sad about it, and swore to herself that she was going to make this work, one way or another.

Even though the thought of being married to Gaara still freaked her out. Even though the idea of having to sleep with him in order to have children was worrying her brain like crazy. Even though she knew that Gaara probably hated the idea that he'd been manoeuvred into this. And even though, despite everything, she was, in a way, looking forward to this a little, but only from the perspective of what was best for her village. Otherwise, she was screaming to herself on the inside that this was all wrong. How could it not be?

And yet, a couple of hours later, she walked through the gates, Temari beside her, giving off the aura of the calmest person in the world.

**There'll be face to face with Gaara and Sakura next chapter! Please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**New chappie! Wee-hee! I'm sooo happy with this one, and I have no idea why! Enjoy!**

**Naruto and all the stuff in it doesn't belong to me, but this story that I made up with my own brain does!**

**Chapter Five**

Temari led Sakura to the Kazekage tower where they were to meet with Gaara. The only thing that Sakura could think on rationally was the fact that her insides were screaming at her to cut and run. Life as a missing-nin wasn't that bad, was it? _Of course it is! How could anyone think that a life spent constantly on the run was any good? Snap out of it!_ she berated herself.

Preoccupied with her inner ramblings, Sakura looked up in surprise to find that they were at the Kazekage's tower already. _Shit! Panic mode!_ she thought. Temari turned to look at her then with a smile.

"Are you ready?" she asked, and Sakura shook her head.

"I am in NO WAY ready for this!" she declared. "But let's go anyway."

Temari rolled her eyes at her, then led the way.

They made their way through the building, going through the lobby, up a few flights of stairs and along a hallway that seemed to go almost the entire circumference of the building. Why on earth have a corridor that went around the building when they could have just made it go the other way? They would have been there already! But despite all that, they had reached the Kazekage's office now, and Sakura took a deep breath to desperately steady her nerves.

Temari knocked on the door and the pinkette felt a slight shiver at the sound of a voice giving them permission to enter. Gaara's voice. _Oh well, here goes,_ she thought as her guide opened the door. The room beyond was well lit and spacious, and Sakura felt that the overall design of it was intended to make visitors at ease with their surroundings, but it had the opposite effect on her. Her nerves were starting to get the better of her, and it got slightly worse when she laid eyes on her 'intended.'

Sabaku no Gaara was sitting at his desk, head bowed slightly as he attended to some paper work. Temari led her over to the desk and then just stood there, waiting for Gaara to look up and acknowledge them. In that time, Sakura took a long hard look at the man seated in front of them.

Because he was sitting, his height wasn't easily discernable, but she could easily call up a memory for that. Other things caught her attention, and she 'noticed' a few things about him that she had never taken the time to even consider before. Like the way his hair fell into his eyes as his head was bent slightly, or the way his shoulders were set as his pen flowed over the documents before him.

As she stood there studying his features, Sakura wondered how she could have missed these little things in the times he'd been to Konoha. Usually she was quite observant, but it seemed that she'd been a little ignorant after all. She hadn't noticed how good looking he was, not really. And he was _very_ handsome. (What was wrong with her?)

Finally, Gaara looked up from his paperwork and their eyes met, and Sakura felt something (she didn't know what) spark inside of her. What the...?

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Looking up from the documents he'd finally finished signing, Gaara was unprepared for the sight of the woman in front of him. What the hell was going on? This was not the Sakura he remembered, though she did share a striking similarity with the violent kunoichi that was the apple of Naruto's eye, friend wise, anyway. Taking an unobtrusive look at her, he found that what he saw did and didn't sit well with him.

She was beautiful, with just a spark of ethereal thanks to her unique hair colour. How had he never seen this before? In all the times he'd been to Konoha, Sakura had been kind of like background noise, something that he'd never really paid attention to. And now this? He didn't like it, not one bit. This... whatever it was, would surely only complicate matters. This marriage was a political farce, and he'd be damned if he'd let it be more!

Ruthlessly pushing aside everything that the sight of this (beautiful) kunoichi was causing, Gaara stood and moved around his desk to her.

"Sakura," he greeted in the coldest voice he could manage. (And it was pretty darn cold, too)

"Kazekage-sama," Sakura replied, seemingly trying to mimic his coldness.

"Since we are to be wed," he stated coldly, "there is no need for you to address me by my title."

Sakura inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement and amended, "Gaara. It is an honour to be here," she told him.

Gaara acknowledged her statement with a curt nod. "A room has been set up for you," he told her, leaving out the fact that it was his own room. "Temari will escort you there. All of your things have already arrived and been unpacked by some servants."

As he'd suspected, she didn't look too happy about that, but he figured that it would be a miniscule thing compared to when she found out _exactly_ where she was staying. Not that he intended for there to be anything for her to worry about. He'd already decided that nothing was going to happen. The elders could take their plans for an heir to hell!

Even though they'd refused to remove that damned clause, at least, not entirely. They'd cleverly rewritten it so that, while there was no specific deadline, there was still a reference to the 'need' for an heir. He ground his teeth at the memory of them insisting that he have a child with the woman who was now standing before him, looking every inch the temptress, despite the fact that she was obviously exhausted and could do with a meal and a bath.

Not that she smelled bad, far from it. Reluctantly Gaara's nostrils took in her scent, and it made him want to push her against the wall, or perhaps throw her on his desk. But no! There was absolutely no way that he would do either! He refused. Haruno Sakura was an unwelcome nuisance in his life, and he'd be damned if he _ever_ gave in to whatever it was that was making him see her differently now.

With an imperious wave of his hand, he dismissed them.

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The rather unceremonious way in which Gaara had dismissed them had had Sakura's hackles raised. He was so rude to her! She may have to be married to him, but there was no way that she was going to put up with his arrogance and attitude! Did he think that she was here willingly? Maybe he did, but she wasn't. It was only because it was a directive of her Hokage, and she found herself wishing even more so that Tsunade had chosen someone else instead of her for this.

As Temari led her to her new home, Sakura found herself wishing again, this time that she had indeed run off rather than come to Suna. Maybe she could have found a nice inconspicuous village, dyed her hair and lived an uneventful... No way! That was _too_ boring, but then, what was a life with an arrogant asshole going to be, then? She had a feeling that there wouldn't be a problem if he decided to consummate the marriage, but she had an inkling from his attitude that he didn't even want to think about touching her.

_So much for the idea of one day having a child of my own,_ she thought, a little sad at the thought.

Temari had stopped suddenly, and Sakura looked up, confused, until she saw that they were standing in front of a house. But that was an understatement. The place was a friggin' mansion! This was where she was supposed to live? Her own home, while not tiny, had been more than enough to house her, but this could probably do the same for a small army! Temari had noticed her gaping and grinned.

"You like it?" she asked.

Recovering, Sakura answered, "It's a bit ostentatious."

Temari's grin faltered, and she huffed as she led the way in.

Inside was no better than the outside. It was all too much. It was no wonder that Gaara thought that he could act like a bastard and get away with it! And Kankurou often acted like he was Kami's gift to women. Temari seemed grounded, but maybe it was just because she had to deal with two brothers like the ones she had. Desperately, Sakura hoped that she would remain grounded like Temari, and not let all of this wealth go to her head.

Not that she should, in any case. All of this was the sand sibling's life, how they lived and what they did. Her only part in that was to unify two villages. As she followed Temari through the mansion, Sakura resigned herself to only being welcomed into this family by the elder two of the siblings, neither of whom were to be the one she was going to have to be with for better (ha! as if!) or for worse.

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Back in his office, Gaara was staring at the paperwork in front of him. It was the same one that he'd been working on when Temari and Sakura had turned up, and he couldn't focus on it. Damn Tsunade for sending Sakura here! How was he going to concentrate when she made him feel...

No! He refused to give in to this! Determinedly, he picked up his pen and forced himself to concentrate of the documents before him, only to find that he'd somehow finished them without realising. Snarling in self-disgust, he shoved it to the side and brought the next one in front of him, only to freeze at the contents.

It was the wedding contract. Someone must have put it in his pile for his reviewal. Scanning over the document, he found that the elders had reworded it _again_, and this time, they'd put the clause for an heir back in with its time limit. Damn them! They just didn't know when to give up! At this rate, he was going to have a mental break down because of the stress they were causing him!

Giving up on the paper work, at least for the moment, he stood from his chair and started to make for the elder's sanctum, but a realisation stopped him. They were doing this on purpose. He was going crazy over this whole 'heir' clause. Was he missing something? If he was, he'd better figure it out, quick, before the elders managed to manipulate him into doing something before it was too late.

**Ok, so it's late, and I have to work tomorrow, so I can't be bothered doing a last minute check for mistakes. If there are some, I'll live, and if not, then I'm totally the greatest and what not for not making any mistakes despite my shitty typing skills. (i.e.- can't touch type for shit, and often hit the wrong key even though I'm looking right at it!) Good-night, everyone, and don't forget to review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey! A new chapter! I've been a little distracted from this, while still kinda thinking of it. What that means is that I've been planning the sequel! The idea for it came to me after I'd done some writing and I thought that it was too good to pass up. There's still a lot to plan, and I won't be posting anything until after this one is done.**

**Speaking of which, I've got another six or eight chapters to go on this one. I am going to have a lot of fun with chapter eight, (or nine, if it needs two chapters)! So stay tuned!**

**Naruto and the gang don't belong to me.**

**Chapter Six**

The festival to celebrate the founding of the village was basically a month away, and already people had come around to see Sakura to discuss the details for the wedding. The festival was a week long celebration, and the wedding was scheduled for the fourth day, with time for the people to celebrate both before and afterwards. The whole week was going to be nothing but a huge party, with the wedding as the centerpiece.

Temari and Kankurou had taken it upon themselves to show her around Suna. At least, when she wasn't being waylaid by wedding planners. They made sure that she got to know the village that was now her home, and Sakura was amazed by all the things they showed her. She drooled over the library, especially the medical section. Then there was this amazing green house that held a massive garden that was popular with families. And of course, as Temari had promised Naruto, there was definitely plenty of ramen in Suna. The ramen stands were good, but Sakura knew that Naruto would declare that Ichiraku was still the best.

With so much to do, there was little time for her to sit back and really take in all that was happening, but she needed to go through it all. The only spare time she really had was in the mornings when she woke, and at night before she went to bed. She'd found out that the servants in the Kazekage mansion had put her stuff in Gaara's room, but Temari had helped her to move some of it to a spare room. It might be custom for an engaged couple in Wind country to move in to the same house and room _and bed_ together, but to Sakura, it was a little inappropriate.

At that moment, Sakura was sitting on the bed in her room, going over the details for the flowers that would be used. She and a woman named Airi were arguing over the finer points of flower arrangement when she heard Gaara's voice. Instantly all of her senses went on alert at the knowledge his presence brought, and she instinctively tried to hear what he was saying.

"...should be soon. Maybe then we'll find out."

Slightly disappointed, Sakura realised that was Kankurou's voice, but Gaara spoke next.

"We can't wait," he was saying. "If they've got something planned, I want to know before the wedding. Make sure Temari goes over the damned thing with a fine toothed comb."

"Of course."

The sound of footsteps told Sakura that they were leaving and she relaxed, but only for a moment. There was a knock at the door, and she jumped at the sound. Gaara was on the other side, she just knew it. Without waiting for an answer, he opened the door and Airi immediately got to her feet, bowing low.

"Kazekage-sama," she greeted, and he 'hn-ed' in acknowledgement.

Carefully Sakura stood as well, but she didn't bow. Kankurou had already told her that as the future wife of the Kazekage, she didn't need to bow. So she remained still and waited to find out what it was that he was here for.

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The sight of Sakura was still making him want to do things to her that he'd already sworn he wouldn't. The fact that there was a bed in this room, conveniently within reach, only made it worse. Then that woman, whoever she was, politely excused herself and left them alone, shutting the door behind her. Carefully Gaara took a few steps towards Sakura until he stood at an arms length from her.

"There is something I want you to look at for me," he said, and she nodded.

"What is it, Gaara?" she asked, and her voice made him curse everything that had brought her here.

Pulling out the marriage contract, he handed it to her. "I know that as the Hokage's apprentice you've seen your fair share of official documents," he stated. "There's something in this that the elders have put in that I can't find. I want your help to find it."

Sakura nodded and took the scroll from him. "A fresh pair of eyes," she commented, then promised, "I'll look over it."

He was about to turn and leave when he made the mistake of looking directly into those emerald orbs of hers. His stomach lurched and his breath felt stifled as he stared at her, and he couldn't look away. She was staring at him, he was staring at her and it seemed that neither of them could look away. Of its own accord, his body swayed towards her a little and his head lowered slightly. He was in danger of losing his control. If only...

The sound of a door slamming jolted him out of his daze and he spun on his heel, getting the _hell_ out of there. A moment later, and he might have given in. But he refused. No matter how much his body craved to be pressed against hers, _inside_ of hers. Control was necessary, and he'd be damned if he'd fall victim to this weakness.

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For a long moment after Gaara had left Sakura just stood there, still in a daze from the rather intense moment just before. Had it really happened? There had been a look akin to lust in Gaara's eyes. Had she imagined it? She was sure that he'd been close to kissing her, and if not, then she had a very vivid imagination. Still, if it _had_ been real, why did he pull away?

...Of course. He hadn't wanted this marriage, she knew. It was an unchangeable fact. Not that she could blame him; she hadn't wanted to be here either. And yet, if she could trust what she'd seen a moment before, did that mean that Gaara _did_ want her? Maybe he was fighting it? In any case, if he still refused to touch her, even after they were wed, Sakura decided that she would respect his wishes and not try to push for anything. After all, it wasn't as if they were going to fall madly in love and live happily ever after despite the circumstances. That would be wishful thinking!

But what if he did touch her? Already she'd felt a physical attraction to him, so she knew that if he wanted to have her, he definitely could. But what if she said no to him? Would he back off, or demand his 'marriage rights?' Sakura gulped at the thought of Gaara leaning the full force of his presence on her. No, there was no way she could resist him. If he decided he wanted her...

These thoughts were not productive, not to mention the fact that they were slightly morbid. She sighed and sat down on her bed and began going over the contents of the marriage contract, wondering what on earth it could be that Gaara was looking for.

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Temari was minding her own business (well, other's business, actually, but only because it was her job, honest!) when she ran in to her little brother. Gaara looked pissed, and she could only wonder what had happened to anger him like that. Then she saw a hint of something else, embarrassment, but the sort that comes from nearly making a fool of yourself in public. That sort of thing would never happen to Gaara, but then she noticed the direction he'd come from, and smiled slightly, hoping her assumptions were correct.

Gaara could only fret at the almost knowing look in his sister's eyes when she saw him, but he didn't have time to worry over such nonsense. Having only just come out of Sakura's room after his damned near-miss, the last thing he needed was for his sister to start meddling in his affairs. The elders had already done a fine job of that, and he didn't need Temari adding to the damned complications that were already here!

Glaring at his sister, he demanded, "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be out in the village."

Temari pouted a little. "You've hurt my feelings, Gaara," she complained. "And here I was, thinking that you liked my company!"

Gaara sighed. Temari was so... annoying. But then she was speaking and he concentrated on what she was saying.

"Sakura's parents will be here in a couple of weeks," she said. "You still have to find something to give them, you know, the traditional gift for the new In-laws and stuff. Plus, they'll probably have to brought up to speed on the finer details for our weddings. They're not exactly the same as the ones in Konoha."

Gaara grunted noncommittally. The last thing he wanted was to have to deal with Sakura's parents. He didn't even know anything about them, other than the fact that she'd mentioned briefly that her mother was a civilian and her father a ninja. But other than that...

"Fine," he said. "You can deal with that. I have better things to do."

With that, he stalked off, leaving an irate Temari behind him.

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Sakura sighed. It had been several hours since Gaara had come to her with the marriage contract, and she was only just getting to it. Earlier, as soon as she'd tried to have a look at it, she'd been interrupted by the wedding planners, and they hadn't given a moment's pause for _hours!_ Really, how was she supposed to get anything productive done when they wouldn't stop going on and on about stupid little things that she could swear had already been decided?

Now she was sitting at a desk in her room, carefully going over the contents of the contract. It seemed pretty straightforward, though she'd felt torn when she came to the part about their having children. She wanted to blush at the idea, and pummel the elders for the rather blunt way they'd worded things. Instead, she settled for a slight blush and a few choice swear words.

"...to gather the land together as a united nation under the leader of Wind, who has control over security of the..."

Sakura froze. _The leader of Wind?_ It was nothing more than a technicality, but one that could be used in the future. The leader of Wind wasn't Gaara. It was the Daimyo. Gaara was the leader of Sand, not Wind. Just what the _hell _was going on here? Swearing, Sakura got to her feet and headed for Gaara's room. He was _not _going to like this!

**Friggin' political mess! Anyway, I hope you liked and will review. See ya!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Helloooo!!!!! New chapter ready for your entertainment! Enjoy!**

**Naruto stuff doesn't belong to me.**

**Chapter Seven**

Peace and quiet. It was something that Gaara rarely had, ever since he became Kazekage. There was always some reason for people to seek him out, interrupt that solitude he craved. And yet, he had willingly taken up the mantle as leader of the village, knowing full well that it would happen. He sighed, then inwardly groaned when someone knocked on his door.

"Come in," he growled, thinking that it was probably Temari. Or maybe Kankurou.

But it wasn't. His stomach lurched and his breath quickened when the door opened and Sakura stepped into his room.

"What do you want?" he demanded gruffly, and he saw her hesitate.

"I found something," she said coolly and held out the wedding contract, which he took from her, careful not to touch her. "The twelfth paragraph, four lines in. That's what you need to see."

Without waiting for him to dismiss her, Sakura turned and left. Still disgusted with himself, Gaara pulled the contract open and looked at the section she'd mentioned. It seemed pretty straightforward, the usual decree of goodwill and unity. And then he saw it. He froze, realising just how big a thing this really was. If he'd signed this without knowing about this part, at any time in the future the elders could use this to take control from him and give it to the Daimyo.

The leader of Wind... It was so slight, yet it would stand up if they ever decided to use it. Signing this would basically be signing away the future of Suna, and he refused to let that happen! Swearing, he got to his feet and headed for his brother's room. He had to move now, and didn't care if Kankurou was asleep. He just burst into his room and used his sand to wake him up.

"Mmph... huh? Gaara! What the hell are you doing?"

"Get up," Gaara commanded. "We have work to do."

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The next morning Sakura heard all about how Gaara had woken the entire elder council up in the middle of the night and had then had his jounin drag them to a meeting which was apparently still going. She knew the consequences that he would have faced if he'd signed that contract, and she agreed with him completely in the way he'd handled this. If the council in Konoha had tried a stunt like this, Tsunade wouldn't have dragged them to a meeting in the dead of the night. She would have probably pummelled them into the next century instead.

Sighing, she supposed that this proved that Gaara was probably better at politics and diplomacy than her shishou.

At this moment, Sakura was heading over to the main building where Gaara's office was. She was going there to see if she could find out exactly what was going on right now. This elder problem was definitely going to shake things up for awhile, and the staff probably weren't going to be able to get much done at the moment. So maybe she could help them sort things out. This was why she was headed there now.

Arriving at the offices, she was informed that Temari was already there, and smiled slightly. The other woman was pretty good at motivating people, so there was no need to worry after all. But still, it would be nice to see her, so Sakura continued in. She found Temari in Gaara's office going through the day's schedule.

"Sakura!" she greeted as soon as she realised that she was there. "Not that I'm not pleased to see you, but why are you here?"

Smiling, Sakura said, "I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help. I am pretty good at things like this, after all."

Temari grinned. "Sure," she said. "You can start by helping me sort out this mess."

"What mess? You look like you're handling it."

Temari threw her hands up in disgust. "Gaara's got the whole building in chaos right now with his little impromptu meeting," she said. "Nothing's really being handled, because the person who's supposed to make sure that there's someone assigned to handling this sort of thing was also dragged into that damned meeting!"

"Really?" Sakura asked curiously. "Who's that?"

"Kankurou," she was told. "He's the one who usually deals with the whole 'cover for me, I'll be back in a bit' things Gaara sometimes does."

"Well then, I guess I'll help you."

For the next few hours, the two of them sorted official documents ranging from treaties, to trade agreements, to suggestions on improving the village and to recommendations for promotions or missions. It was then that a jounin appeared with a message that had just come from Konoha.

"Let's see what it is," Temari said, and began opening it.

"Wait!" Sakura stopped her. "It has the Hokage's seal on it! Only Gaara's supposed to open it!"

Temari looked thoughtful for a moment. "You're right," she agreed, then said, "It'll be fine, I open Gaara's mail all the time!"

Before Sakura could stop her, Temari had yanked open the message and started reading it. Whatever was in it made her freeze, however, and she looked up at Sakura, staring at her as if to gauge her possible reaction to whatever was written there.

"What? What is it?"

"It's Sasuke," Temari said, and a strange sensation stirred inside of Sakura. "He's been spotted in Fire territory, and they're sending people out to try to retrieve him."

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Gaara was in a rage as he stormed along the corridors of the Kazekage building. Those stupid elders had really thought that they were going to get away with it! He knew that they didn't agree with the way he ran things, but to do this? It was treason! He should have them all arrested, or at least have them thrown off the council, and maybe he still would, but for now, there were other things that required his attention.

He really had to thank Sakura for finding that discrepancy, for if she hadn't, pretty soon Suna would have been ruled by that weak minded fool of a Daimyo. As he neared his office, he slowed in his pace. Sakura. He owed her, and he didn't like that idea. They may be about to be married, but he'd figured that he could handle that. She was going to have a separate room, no matter what anyone said. And the council could forget their plans for heirs, if they'd really even cared about it in the first place.

Finally, he reached the door of his office and he strode in, only to find his sister and his intended there.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, determinedly focusing his attention on his sister.

"Oh! Hey Gaara," Temari greeted, waving at him.

There was an opened scroll in her hand and he saw an empty message holder on his desk. "Are you opening things that you're not supposed to again?" he asked, a dangerous note in his voice.

Vaguely he was aware of Sakura shifting uncomfortably, and he glanced over at her, noting that she looked tense, upset and uncertain. Why?

"Um... Well... You see, I was just trying to get things done while you were busy," Temari said a little uncertainly, then Sakura spoke up.

"She opened a message from Tsunade shishou," she said. "It said Sasuke's been spotted."

Uchiha Sasuke? The one that Sakura had loved? Had jumped up in front of him to protect him in the chuunin exams?

"And how do you know what it said?" Gaara asked, a weird sensation forming in the pit of his stomach at the thought of Sasuke returning.

"I told her," Temari stated simply. "Apparently they're sending some Anbu out to try and intersect him. Seems he was spotted some distance east of Konoha, and heading south from there."

"They think he might be coming here," Sakura said, and Gaara felt anger rise in him at the look on her face.

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It was really frustrating, to get news on Sasuke's whereabouts, only to be stuck in Suna when it happened! Naruto, she knew, would definitely bug Tsunade to death to be on the team that went after him, but if he missed the wedding, Sakura would personally skin him alive. She needed all of her friends here to support her on her 'big day', and if that knuckle-head missed it...

Gaara was talking, and Sakura shook herself mentally to listen.

"...increase security," he was saying. "If he's really headed here, I want to make sure that everything is safe, especially Sakura."

Safe? Did he think that Sasuke would hurt her? _Would_ he hurt her? If he _was_ coming to Suna, what could he possibly want? While he was declared a missing nin, Tsunade had already said that if he came back himself, then he would be given a chance to redeem himself, but if they had to force him back, then it would be up to the council, and Sakura knew from some intelligence that she'd seen that they would probably hang Sasuke out to dry.

"Sakura! Are you listening to me!?"

Snapping to attention, Sakura looked up guiltily to see Gaara glaring at her. "What?"

Sighing in obvious frustration, Gaara repeated, "I said, for your own sake, you probably shouldn't go anywhere by yourself for awhile. Temari can stay with you at all times, in case the Uchiha turns up."

Nodding rather numbly, Sakura followed Temari as the older kunoichi indicated that they should leave.

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This was not good, he decided. Sasuke turning up could ruin things that were already strained. She wanted to go after him, that much was clear, but despite everything, Gaara wasn't going to let Sakura put herself in possibly harm's way just on the off chance that her traitor of a former team mate would return willingly. It was a stupid idea.

Sitting down in the chair that was quite warm, thanks to his sister, Gaara contemplated the fact that, if she hadn't been here and seen the message herself, he probably wouldn't have told her about it. At least, not until after the wedding, anyway.

**So, I've discovered room for another chapter in the planning I've got done, maybe, which will bring the total chapter count to possibly fifteen in the end. I just keep having ideas to stick in the chapters, and it keeps lengthening the story. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and will review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey there! I've got another chapter done! So, I've discovered that all the stuff I've done for my summaries for the remaining chapters is **_**way**_** too much for one chapter At least, the stuff for this lot was, so now I'm not sure how many chapters I've got left. I've got stuff planned that I'd thought would cover sixteen chapters, but if this keeps up, I'm gonna end up with **_**way**_** more than that! Oh well, this just means I need to do a major overhaul of my 'notes' for the remaining chapters, and figure out where to go from there.**

**Naruto doesn't belong to me, but all the OC's and this story do.**

**Chapter Eight**

Two weeks until the wedding, and it had been just as long since they'd heard the news of Sasuke, and he'd vanished from people's sight since then. Now, as Sakura sat in the main dining room of the Kazekage mansion, she couldn't help but wonder what his intentions were.

Why was he coming here? That was her biggest unanswered question. Then there was the one where she wondered if it even had anything to do with her at all. Maybe it was all a big fat coincidence? And yet, just the other day she'd overheard some jounin talking about some nin who'd been seen on Wind's border, and her heart had sunk a little.

He _was_ coming here, she was sure of it now.

Ever since the news of the Sasuke sightings, Gaara had been even colder towards her. The increase in security he'd mentioned had included her not being allowed out without at least two jounin's shadowing her. It was making her life difficult, but Sakura suspected that her fiancée didn't really give a damn about that.

Then there was still the wedding to consider. In a couple of hours or so, her parents would be here, and a few days after that, her friends were going to arrive. In two weeks, she would stand beside Gaara for all of Suna to behold, and then her life would never truly be her own ever again. Who she was and everything that she both represented and stood for would all be for the people of Sand and their cold-hearted Kazekage.

She sighed, poking a plate full of food with her chopsticks. Already she was feeling restless, and it was only partly because of her impending nuptials. Always her thoughts would stray to Sasuke, and what could possibly be going on in that head of his. What was he thinking? What could he even hope to accomplish by coming here?

Sakura understood the kind of power that the last Uchiha (if you believed the rumours) had, and she believed that he would have no problem sneaking in here. Neji could even sneak into Suna because of the Byakugan, so the Sharingan probably wouldn't have any problem with it either. Thinking of Neji had her thinking of Hinata, and the rather cryptic letter that had come the other day from Ino. It seemed that Kiba had dumped Hinata, and the girl was miserable. What had happened?

But Sakura knew that she would find out eventually. Ino had promised that she'd make sure that Hinata made it for the wedding.

Casting her chopsticks down in disgust, Sakura gave up on eating anything. She was too distracted, and as it was, still had to be at the gates of Suna in just under three hours for when her parents arrived. Haruno Kousei and Okimi, Sakura's father and mother respectively, would be the first to arrive from Konoha, followed in a couple of days by Naruto, Ino, Shikamaru, Hinata, Kakashi and Sai, covering her best friends and her team mates. The day before the wedding, Tsunade shishou would arrive, probably with Shizune in tow, and Genma, too, since he and Shizune were together now.

So now, she headed towards the main gates, taking her time to get there, still going over all the thoughts that had had her distracted for the past fortnight.

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Gaara was gritting his teeth as he waited at the gates with Temari and Kankurou for Sakura's parents. Sakura should have also been here by now, but wasn't yet. Finally, she turned up, still being followed by the jounin he'd assigned to watch her.

"Hey, Sakura!" Temari greeted her with a hug. "I bet you're excited to see your parents, huh?"

Sakura smiled, and Gaara resolutely turned away from her. "Yeah," she answered Temari. "I've really missed them, so it'll be great to have them here."

The two of them chatted for awhile until Kankurou said, "I think I see them."

Sakura instantly rushed forward, stopping a little in front of Gaara, who immediately tried not to stare at her, but failed miserably. The pinkette in front of him was hopping anxiously from one foot to the other, and when her parents were close enough, she rushed to them, engulfing them in what looked like a rib cracking hug, but probably wasn't.

"Oh, I've missed you guys!" she cried.

The two people before her smiled and hugged her back. "We've missed you too, sweetie!" her mother said, and a pain that Gaara hadn't felt in a long time resurfaced, and suddenly he found himself resenting Sakura and her parents.

He'd never known his mother, and had been blamed for her death by the only person who'd loved him as a child. His own father had hated him, and even Temari and Kankurou had avoided him when they were younger. But it seemed that Sakura'd had a perfect childhood, both parents alive and there to love her. The fact that she was an only child didn't matter. She'd been loved as a child, and now, he found himself hating her for that.

Her father came forward then, and stood before him, his demeanour calm. Gaara kept his stoic face as Haruno Kousei bowed low before saying, "Greetings, Kazekage-sama. My wife and I are honoured that you have come out to greet us."

The man stood and looked directly at him, and suddenly Gaara felt disconcerted. It seemed that Sakura got her eyes from her father, for it was a pair of brilliant emerald eyes that looked at him, only it wasn't hers. Glancing over, he noticed that Haruno Okimi was an older version of her daughter, only with blue-green eyes that reminded him of the ocean. It was overwhelming, and the openness with which they both seemed to be greeting him with destroyed his previous hate.

Recovering from this shock, Gaara spoke, "I am honoured also, that you have come here."

Temari stepped forward, then, and said, "Come on, you two must be exhausted after your long trip. Let's get you both settled in, ok?"

"Good idea," Okimi agreed, coming forward. "I'm looking forward to getting to know our new family members."

That one little comment had Gaara completely bowled over, and he could only follow mutely as Temari and Kankurou led the way, with Sakura linking her arms with her parent's in front of them.

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Temari and Kankurou loved Sakura's parents, and for that, the pinkette was glad. Gaara on the other hand, she wasn't sure about. He was the epitome of polite, never once saying anything that could be construed as harsh or rude, and yet she was confused. Was he going to treat her parents in the same cold way that he'd been treating her? She hoped not. They'd been nothing but pleasant and open.

Still, maybe he was being polite because to be otherwise would mean alienating two people who were pivotal in her life. Sakura still retained the right to pull out; nothing was set in stone until the marriage contract was signed. Speaking of which, the contract had undergone yet another overhaul, and it seemed Gaara was at last satisfied with the result. Sakura hadn't seen it yet, and if she was right in her assumptions, probably wouldn't until the wedding day.

Speaking of which, all the preparations and planning for the 'big day' were almost done. Soon Sakura's part in it would be reduced to the actual wedding day, since she'd made all of the choices for the flowers, the cakes, etc... Other people were going to be making it happen, and starting tomorrow, she would actually be able to relax and have time for herself.

Well, not really. With her parents here and her friends arriving soon, she knew that she was going to have her hands full. _Especially _when her friends arrived. Sakura was not sure if she was looking forward to having the loud-mouth Naruto, pervy Kakashi and inappropriately potty-mouthed Sai here. And then there was the impending drama with Hinata and whatever had happened with Kiba. _And _of course, there was still the Sasuke thing.

Sakura sighed as she watched Temari gush over her mother's stories about her childhood. Her parents had always spoiled her, and Sakura had never really confronted them properly with the bullying she'd endured until just before she'd graduated from the academy. By then, she was strong enough to stand up to the children who'd teased her, even if she'd still been light years behind Naruto and Sasuke.

"Hey, Sakura!"

Temari's voice cut through her thoughts and Sakura looked up to see her and Kankurou staring at her with disconcerting gleams in their eyes.

"Your mother was just telling us about that time when you were seven and the incident with the neighbours..."

Interrupting Kankurou before he could go any further, Sakura wailed, "Okāsan! How could you?!"

Everyone laughed. Well, almost everyone.

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Gaara sat away from the small group, watching them with mixed emotions. Kousei and Okimi were getting along with his siblings like a house on fire, and they'd even attempted to get him into their little... whatever they were doing. But he didn't want to. They were acting so... familiar, and he wasn't sure yet if he liked that idea. So he decided to stick with his reservations.

Sakura was definitely pleased to have her parents here, and as he watched her, Gaara could feel something growing inside of him, and it wasn't like the lust that he'd been feeling ever since she'd arrived. This was something different, more intense. But it didn't worry him, because he was able to push it aside, ignore it.

Sakura looked over at him then, her laughter lingering in her eyes and on her lips. He clenched his jaw at his immediate reaction and automatically glared at her. She looked down and away, and he got to his feet and stormed out of there, angry at himself for reacting to her the way he had.

**Did you like it? This kinda felt like a filler chapter, with the interaction with Sakura's parents and the Sand Siblings. Anyway, I hope you did like it, and will review. See ya!**

**Ps: a slight spoiler; of all the assumptions of what's going to happen where Sasuke's concerned, are any of you even right? And when it gets there, don't forget that whatever happens, I've had it all planned out since the second chapter. At least, that was when I finished planning it all.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Look! I **_**finally **_**got a chapter done for this! Took long enough, didn't it? All I can say is that every time I tried to write for this, nothing would come out. I gotten such massive writers block from this, I'd all but hiatused it. But then I finally got inspired, so there you go. About half of it was written awhile ago, and the other half in about twenty minutes just before I posted this, so if there's slight style discrepancies, that's why. After all, this was before the likes of Katana, and I've noticed a few changes in my writing since then. Still, at least this gives me hope that I can get back to it, and others that have 'taken a break!' So, enjoy!**

**I damned well don't own Naruto!**

**Chapter Nine**

Less than a week to go. Today the festival began, and now everyone who was coming from Konoha (except Tsunade, Shizune and Genma) had arrived. Naruto, Hinata, Ino, Shikamaru, Kakashi and Sai had turned up two days ago, and Naruto was already well into annoying the hell out of Gaara. Her gloomy fiancé had become a little less gloomy since his best friend's arrival, and his aloofness towards her had started to decrease ever since her parents had arrived. Maybe there was hope yet.

At this particular moment, Sakura was bathing in the glow of... whatever you'd call it of her own best friend. Ino was currently sitting with her, as were Hinata and Temari, and the four of them were discussing the upcoming wedding.

"Forehead, this is so cool!" Ino exclaimed.

She was currently looking over the wedding plan, and she seemed to be completely dazzled by all of the detail that had gone into planning all of this.

"Oooh!" she squealed suddenly. "You've got a full orchestra for the reception! I never got an orchestra!"

"That's because you weren't marrying the Kazekage," Temari stated matter-of-factly. "This whole wedding's a big deal, Ino."

"Hey, I know that! Sheesh!"

"Besides," Temari continued, "most of the stuff in the wedding is in the festival as well. It's meant to kinda fuse the wedding into the festival, so there are a lot of things that just overlapped for both of them."

During this whole thing, Hinata had been extremely quiet, and while Temari and Ino were engrossed in a discussion about the similarities for the wedding and the festival, Sakura moved a little closer to her quiet friend and asked, "Are you ok, Hinata?"

The pale eyed girl looked up and smiled weakly at Sakura. "I'm fine," she said, adding at Sakura's sceptical look, "I _will _be fine. Don't worry about me. We're here for you, after all."

But Sakura knew that she _was _going to worry. She couldn't help it. Hinata was her friend, and as her friend, she had an overwhelming desire to mutilate Kiba. Even though she didn't know exactly what had happened, the urge was still there.

Sighing, Sakura turned around to find that Temari and Ino were now arguing over the fact that the flowers in the Grand Hall, where the wedding was going to take place, were pink. That was it, she decided. Getting up, she left them to their own devices, hoping they wouldn't notice her absence long enough for her to have some time to herself for a change.

* * *

Having Naruto in Suna was extremely distracting. Gaara restrained himself from throttling his friend and instead settled for rolling his eyes. The way he was going on about Sasuke, and how he just knew he was coming here struck nerves in the red head that he'd been successfully ignoring until now. Why the hell did Naruto have to go on about things that he didn't even care about? At least, he was trying not to.

"... and when the teme gets here, I'm gonna beat his ass for leaving us all these years!"

The annoying blonde was at it again, and Gaara groaned inwardly. "Naruto," he growled. "I don't _care _about that traitor! Could you please just shut the hell up about him!?"

Naruto's mouth snapped shut, and he stared at his friend for the longest moment before commenting, "You're gonna have to care on some level. After all, he _is _coming here, whether you like it or not. And it's probably because of Sakura-chan, since he started here before the rest of us turned up."

'_Don't remind me,' _he almost said out loud, but he kept his own mouth shut on that point.

"Hey!" Naruto suddenly yelled, making Gaara start a little, inwardly at least. "What's this all about?"

Turning to his friend, he saw that Naruto was looking out the window, and, curiosity getting the better of him, he stood and made his way over to where the annoying blond was standing. What he saw was nothing unusual for a festival in Suna, but he supposed it was only natural for Naruto to be ignorant of it. It was a street performance, one of many that would be happening over the coming celebrations.

"That's for the festival," he said shortly, then felt a shiver of unease when Naruto grinned.

"Let's go down there!" he said.

"No."

"Aw, come on, Gaara!" Naruto whined. "It'll be fun!"

Gaara sighed. When the Kyuubi boy used that tone, he knew that there was no stopping him, whatever he was doing. "Fine."

Naruto grinned in delight and practically dragged him out of there.

* * *

Sakura was wandering through the streets when she saw something amazing. It was the festival. She'd been indoors mostly for so long, she'd almost forgotten that the festival was starting today. Well, she knew, but it had somehow slipped her mind. Still, she had some free time now, and she decided that she was going to use it to take a look at the festivities. There were a lot of carnival stores opening up, and she was determined to get at least one useless trinket. Okay... maybe two or three.

Smiling to herself, she wandered through the streets, lingering over the stands. She bought a beautiful hair comb, a doll wearing fancy clothing and a strange little silver object that she had no idea what it was.

At some point during her wandering she felt a shiver run along her spine, and she looked around to see Naruto and Gaara watching a street performance. _Shit!_ she thought. If Gaara saw her here, without the bodyguard he'd imposed on her (that would be Temari) then she was definitely going to be in deep trouble! Looking around, she searched for a quick getaway, but it was hopeless. With an impending sense of doom, she watched as Gaara's head turned and his eyes locked with hers.

Just as she expected, his eyes narrowed, and he came towards her. That was when she noticed that Naruto was with him. Just great…

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto greeted. "This festival is great, don't you think?"

"Sure," was Sakura's vague reply. She was still waiting for what Gaara was going to say.

She didn't have to wait long. "You're out by yourself," he said. "You're not supposed to go anywhere without someone accompanying you."

Sakura glared at him. "Well excuse me for wanting to get out of that stupid place!" she said, and Gaara's eyes became dangerous.

"You know that it's for your protection," he said in a deceptively calm voice. "The Uchiha…"

"You don't actually know anything!" Sakura snapped. "Why are you assuming that he'll hurt me, anyway? And, hell! I can bloody well look after myself, dammit!"

"You really think you could take on an Uchiha?" he hissed. "Especially one that had training from Orochimaru? A Sannin?"

"And just who do you think my shishou is?" she demanded. "Chopped liver? Sasuke's not the only one to train with a Sannin, you know!" Just conveniently forgetting Naruto and Jiraiya, too.

"They were on the same team! He knows her techniques!"

"That was years ago! Do you think Tsunade was sitting on her ass all that time? Orochimaru couldn't have beaten her if he'd tried! And he did!"

"That was because there were other people there at the time! Shizune, Jiraiya, Naruto…!"

As soon as their hypnotically captivated audience's name came up, the blond snapped out of his daze. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "Just what is going on with you two? You're getting married in five days! Don't you think you should try a little harder to get along?"

"Shut up, Naruto!"

"Be quiet, Uzumaki!"

Both of them spoke at the same time, then they glared at each other. Sakura refused to back down, despite the death glare she was receiving from her intended. Gaara was obviously stubborn, just as she knew she was, so there was no way that either of them was going to lose this fight.

Suddenly Gaara's hand shot out and he pulled her closer, and Naruto watched, jaw agape, as the two of them disappeared in a swirl of sand.

* * *

She was so infuriating, he felt like he could murder her! Did she really think that her precious Uchiha was coming here just to congratulate her on her wedding? Gaara gnashed his teeth together as he watched Sakura's fist come down on a desk, shattering it. For a brief moment he thought how glad he was he hadn't taken her to his office. He liked his desk.

"You stupid little kunoichi!"

Sakura's head snapped around and their eyes met. Both of them were extremely angry, and the only reason Gaara'd brought her here to the Kazekage building was to get her off the street and away from the curious crowd that had started to gather. It would not do any good to let his people see him arguing with his fiancée.

"Excuse me?" she demanded. "I'm not stupid, and I'm not little! You have no right to speak to me like that!"

Gaara moved closer to her until he could feel her breath as she stared defiantly up at him. Sakura's eyes were flashing with anger and steel, and he found himself overcome with a raging passion for her. But he held back, as he had been this whole time.

"You heard me!" he told her. "No matter what you think, you shouldn't have left the safety of the mansion! You are so naïve to think that the traitor won't try something!"

"He's my team mate!" Sakura yelled. "I will not be abandoning the chance to bring him home to Konoha!"

"What? You think that after all this time, he's just going to roll over like some lap-dog and meekly return just because you want him to!?" Gaara yelled back. "Wake up! He's gone, and you and Naruto need to acce-"

SLAP!!

"Don't you ever tell Naruto to give up on Sasuke," she told him in a deadly voice. "Treaty or not, I'll kill you if you do."

Gaara stared at her, disbelieving, and then something inside him snapped. This kunoichi had crossed the line! His hand shot out and grabbed her throat, pinning her against the wall. Despite the deadly grip he had on her, she glared at him with defiant eyes.

"Go ahead," Sakura gasped in his grip. "I dare you."

Oh, he wanted to! He wanted to break her pretty little neck for striking him the way she had! But he didn't. Instead, he did something else, something that he'd been fighting against doing, but, now that his control had slipped, he was incapable of stopping himself from doing. In one fluid movement, Gaara released her throat, pushed her against the wall and crashed his mouth down upon hers.

* * *

Shock. That's all that was registering in Sakura's brain. Not a moment before, they had been arguing, goading one another, and now this. Her body started to react to the kiss and she relaxed slightly, the tension evaporating and being replaced by something else altogether different. Vaguely she registered her hands coming up to thread through Gaara's hair, then she began to kiss him back.

Gaara's mouth against hers was desperate, punishing, and the violence behind it almost scared her. He was pushing her so hard into the wall, and a moment later she realised that his tongue was in her mouth. She could feel all sorts of pent up passion coming through in this kiss, and Sakura began to wonder just how long he'd been holding this back. But a moment later, all thought fled from her brain as a hand pushed up under her shirt.

The kiss was broken as Gaara trailed his lips down her neck, leaving a bruised path behind. His hips ground into hers and Sakura gasped when she realised that he was aroused. Damn! He must have _really _been holding back! He growled incoherently as his hand found her breast, pushing her bra aside to cup her fiercely. She let out a cry at the harshness of his touch, arching into him.

"Gaara!" she gasped, and this served to spur him on.

Gaara pushed himself even further into her, grinding himself against her. Sakura could feel herself getting wet, and she whimpered slightly at the sensations that he was causing.

Suddenly she realised just how far all of this was going, but she didn't really care. She wanted him, and if he wanted her, which he apparently did, then she certainly wasn't going to deny him right now.

**Are they gonna have angry sex in that office in the Kage tower? Find out next time, whenever that will be. Review, dammit!**

**Oh, by the way, check out my profile. I've got a couple of sneak peaks for A Life Bartered and Katana up, as well as one for a new story and other stuff.**


	10. Chapter 10

**See? Didn't take forever for this to be updated again. Maybe this means I'm growing as a person. But then that means that I should update everything I've got, and I don't have the energy to use my brain, especially since I overloaded it the other night at work! Anyway, please enjoy this latest instalment of Unwilling. Oh yeah and, WARNING! Lemon ahead.**

**I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Ten**

So angry. That's all he could think, really. Oh, and the fact that Sakura tasted as good as he'd been imagining. Deliberately, Gaara moved his fingers down to her shorts, yanking them down harshly and taking her underwear with it. She was exposed to him now, and he pressed his fingers against her, eliciting a moan from her mouth. Her opening was slick with her juices, and her readiness aroused him even more. Roughly he shoved two fingers into her, causing her to gasp and arch her back.

Sakura whimpered as he pumped ruthlessly into her, riding his hand desperately. With a sensation that made him feel like he was an outside observer, Gaara watched as his fiancée's face contorted in pleasure.

"Gaara!" she cried, and he could tell that she was near her release.

Before she could reach it, though, he pulled his fingers out, earning even more whimpers. Quickly Gaara unzipped his pants, releasing his painful erection, then slammed himself roughly into her. The instant he was fully sheathed inside her, Sakura stiffened painfully, and he did as well. Virgin… Already he could smell the small amount of blood that he drew from breaking her barrier, and suddenly reality came crashing down on him.

Tears were leaking from Sakura's eyes, and guilt began to fill him. What had he done? Carefully Gaara moved to extricate himself from her, but Sakura's leg came up and wrapped around him, preventing his 'escape.'

"Please don't," she whispered.

"Sakura," Gaara said, but she shook her head, so he stayed where he was.

They stood there a few moments, just leaning against the wall, until Sakura shifted and began to move against him. The pain must have faded, so Gaara took that as a cue to move as well, and he pulled out slightly before thrusting back in again. Taking pains to be as gentle as possible, he set a pace that had them rocking gently against each other, but not too slowly, though.

Pleasure washed over him as they moved together, and Gaara couldn't imagine anything feeling better than this. Sakura moaned and whimpered as they moved, and when he decided to pick up the pace, she became louder until she was crying out his name. He was moaning as well, grunting almost every time he thrust up inside her.

Finally they reached a rhythm that had their peak in sight, and Gaara gripped Sakura more securely as he thrust harder into her, bringing them both more pleasure than they could have ever imagined. Stars began to form in his eyes and he felt her tighten painfully around him as she orgasmed, and he followed closely, spilling himself inside her. A few more thrusts, and he shuddered still, leaning against Sakura and the wall for support.

They stood there awhile, slumped against the wall, then Gaara lifted his head to look at her. "Sakura?" he asked, and her gaze rose to meet his.

* * *

He looked so worried, for a moment Sakura wondered if it was really Gaara in front of her, inside of her. How could he suddenly be concerned for her? Was it because she'd been a virgin? Was he feeling guilty? In any case, a need to reassure him rose in her.

"I'm alright," she told him.

"I'm sorry," he said, and pulled himself out of her.

Sakura pulled her clothes back together and noticed that he did the same. "I'm sorry too," she said. "For arguing and everything."

"It's fine," he told her, the emotion vanishing from his voice. "You need to get back to Temari and the others."

"Gaara," Sakura sighed. "I really don't want to be stuck with those guys the whole time! They're driving me nuts! Especially Ino!"

The intense gaze that Gaara pinned her with stole the breath from her lungs. "They're there to protect you," he said coldly, and Sakura sighed.

Were they going to argue again? "I don't need them to protect me," she said automatically, and she noticed his temper flare.

Before he could snap at her, though, she interrupted, "Stop! I don't want to argue about it again!"

"Then stay with them!" Gaara snapped.

Did he _want _to argue or something? "Please, don't start this again," she whispered, looking away.

He came forward, reaching out and cupping her chin, forcing her to look at him. "You _want _him to come here!" he accused.

"I want my team mate back," Sakura told him.

"He's not your team mate anymore!"

"That doesn't mean I should give up on him!"

Gaara growled and shoved her against the wall again. "Is that why you were a virgin?" he demanded with a sneer. "Because you were waiting for him?"

"You bastard!" she hissed at him, and swung her arm up, only to have him catch it.

Gaara's lips crashed down on hers again and vaguely Sakura wondered if he was going to take her against the wall again. But then he pulled away and stared down at her.

"I never wanted you here," he growled, "but now that you are, I'll be damned if you're gonna just sit around and let that traitor come for you! You're mine, Sakura, you're marrying _me_! If you think you can just run off and dishonour our villages, dishonour _me_…!"

"I'm not going to run off!" Sakura screamed in his face, startling him for a moment.

Gaara's face set into a cold mask. "See that you don't," he stated coldly, then disappeared in a whirl of sand.

Sakura just stood there a moment, digesting it all, until she heard voices and footsteps. Performing hand signs, she vanished in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

Gaara sat at his desk, still fuming. The nerve of her, to _want _that traitor to attack her! He really couldn't believe her naivety! He was so angry with her right now… But he was also angry with himself, for two reasons. One, for letting her under his guard the way he had when they'd coupled. Two, for the thoughts that kept plaguing him about the fact that Sakura probably _had _been waiting for the Uchiha.

The jealousy that thought spawned was the biggest reason for his anger, and he was blaming it all on Sakura. It was her fault that he was feeling all these… things! The breaking of his walls had started when her parents got here, all their talk of family. Though if he were honest, then Gaara would admit that it started when Sakura _got here. _But he wasn't in the mood to be honest with himself.

Gaara groaned at the sudden mental image that popped into his head. He wanted her again, and not just once, but over and over. He thought it was bad before he'd had a taste of her, it was ten times worse now! And as if his day couldn't get anymore worse, something else happened that really tipped the scales.

Naruto burst into the office and yelled, "What the hell is going on, Gaara? Why the hell are you and Sakura-chan being so hostile to each other!?"

"Shut up, Naruto!" Gaara growled at him. He _really _didn't want to deal with this now!

"No, I won't shut up!" Naruto snapped. "You are going to be spending the rest of your life with her! If you two don't find a way to get along, then you're both going to be miserable! Do you really want that?"

Anger filled Gaara and he swept his arm across his desk with a loud growl, startling the hell out of his friend. "JUST LEAVE IT ALONE, NARUTO!" he yelled.

"NO!" Naruto yelled back. "Do you even realise what you're doing!"

Sand whipped up around Gaara as his anger became palpable, but Naruto was refusing to back down. "Stop it!" the kyuubi container yelled, and surprisingly, Gaara did.

"Just leave it alone, Naruto," the red head sighed wearily, and shut his eyes briefly. "This really is none of your business."

* * *

Sakura returned to the room she'd been staying in and flopped down on the bed. Her body was aching slightly from the use of muscles she'd never needed before, and on instinct she brought up a glowing hand to ease the sore muscles. She sighed as the pain eased, though there was still a light throbbing left over from the tenderness that lingered. She was still in shock a little over what had happened.

She'd lost her virginity to a man who'd been as cold as ice to her since she'd arrived, a man she'd believed had no real interest in touching her. Oh, she'd noticed him fighting with himself whenever she was around, she wasn't blind. But still… Even though they were going to get married, Sakura felt wrong, so very wrong, about what had happened.

Not the fact that it had happened, more in the way it had transpired. The anger, the accusations, both before and after their coital activities. He'd accused her of waiting for Sasuke, and while that might have been true years ago, Sakura had gotten over her rogue team mate years ago. Now she only wanted him back as a friend, for Naruto. That irrepressible blond still believed that they could bring him back and have everything work out alright.

The only reason Sakura hadn't had sex with anyone was because, once she'd given up on her former team mate, there hadn't really been anyone she really wanted to be with enough to 'give it up' for. Sure, a couple of the guys she knew had been interested, but she hadn't been, and had therefore decided to focus on her training to occupy her time. And now she'd gone and given it up in the heat of the moment, albeit to the man she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with…

There was a timid knock at the door and a moment later Hinata walked in. "Sakura?" she asked. "Are you alright? You went by us so quickly and without answering Ino…"

That was true. When Sakura had arrived back here, it had been unavoidable for her to go past the people she'd wanted to escape, and it had taken all her willpower not to stop and burst into tears in Ino's arms. But she'd wanted to be alone, not that that was going to happen now. Sitting up, the pinkette stared at her visitor, who suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"I-I can leave if y-you want," Hinata stuttered, and Sakura cursed herself for bringing it out of her.

"No, it's alright," the pinkette sighed. "I've been wanting to talk to you alone, anyway."

Hinata looked positively terrified, but she sat next to her friend when Sakura patted a spot on the mattress next to her. "Do you want to talk about Kiba?" Sakura asked.

Hinata took in a deep breath, and the pink haired kunoichi hugged her friend who was suddenly crying. "H-he s-said his family was arranging a m-marriage for him," she sobbed. "He s-said w-we can't be t-together anymore!"

"He gave up on you without a fight?" Sakura demanded, and Hinata nodded her head.

"I-I would h-have been fine with that," she went on, "b-but then my f-father told me that it w-was a good thing, because the Inuzuka's weren't a c-clan with a real kekkei-genkai."

Hinata cried for awhile, then the shy girl pulled away and said, "Thank you."

Sakura smiled. "Anytime."

"You know, Sakura," Hinata said. "Y-you can talk to m-me about anything as well."

Crafty. Sighing, Sakura gave in. "I argued with Gaara," she said. "He accused me of wanting Sasuke to come here and kidnap me."

"But that's ridiculous!" Hinata gasped. "You're o-over him!"

"I know!" Sakura agreed vehemently. "And then he went and accused me of waiting for him with secret hopes of him being my first…"

Sakura trailed off and blushed, and the observant Hinata picked up on that. "Did you two…?"

The pinkette nodded and looked away. "We had sex," she said softly. "We were both angry and yelling at each other, then he was kissing me and I was kissing him back…"

Hinata hesitantly hugged her, and Sakura leaned into the embrace. "I've been so miserable," she admitted. "Gaara didn't want anything to do with me, he was so cold… but now this? I'm confused, Hinata."

"Don't worry," Hinata said. "Everything will work out."

"I hope so," Sakura muttered, then pulled away and the two of them returned to where Ino and Temari were still arguing over the wedding plans.

**Hope you liked it. Please review!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey lookie! I got a chapter done! I haven't really been writing anything for my stories in awhile, but I've been distracted by a new obsession, Dramione! (For those of you who don't know, that's the Draco and Hermione pairing in Harry Potter.) I've been super-obsessing over it, reading a whole bunch of stories and plotting a few of my own. But I finally got around to stories I've already started, and the end result is this chapter, so enjoy!**

**I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Eleven**

Tomorrow. Tomorrow was the wedding day, and already Gaara had taken final precautions to protect her in case Sasuke turned up. Sakura sighed and rolled her head to the side. She still wasn't convinced that Sasuke would try to hurt her, and maybe she _was _being naïve, but that was beside the point! If he did try to hurt her, she knew damned well how to look after herself, a fact Gaara was simply ignoring.

The night after they'd had sex, Gaara hadn't said anything to her about it, but he'd been a hell of a lot nicer to her. He seemed adamant in his refusal to talk about what had happened, and when she tried to broach the subject, he'd glared at her coldly and said that there was no need to talk about it. So she shut her mouth and let him be nicer.

Releasing a huge sigh, Sakura got up from the bed and wandered out of her room and through the house to the kitchen. She could sense the presence of the jounin and Anbu who were all over the exterior of the building. It was because of them that she couldn't get to sleep. Everyone else that was here were all asleep right now, and she could sense the light chakras from their slumbering forms. But she knew that Gaara would not be sleeping right now, as she knew that he was spending the night in his office two buildings away. Temari had insisted that they couldn't see one another until the actual wedding, which Sakura just knew was fine with him.

Pulling a carton of juice out of the fridge, she took it over to the cupboards where the glasses were and pulled one out. She poured herself a drink, returning the carton to the fridge before picking up the glass and taking a long draught of the refreshing liquid. Really, all of her nerves were attacking her calm façade, and all she wanted to do was run away. But that wasn't an option for her, not by this point.

Sakura really needed some time alone, and being up getting a drink of juice at three or whatever in the morning wasn't what she meant. If only she could ditch the others, just for a short while. But that was a pipe dream, seeing as she was going to be surrounded by even more people tomorrow, it being her wedding day and all. In any case, there's no way that anyone would let her be alone, so that's out the window.

Briefly, she wondered if she could runaway, but then cast that thought aside. The window of opportunity for escape had come and gone, and since she was still here, she was stuck. Still, it's not like she was going to be spending the rest of her life tortured, just chained to a man who probably hated her, even though he at least wanted her. But that was probably bad enough, since she had a premonition that she was going to be miserable with him.

Sakura sighed as she put her glass with a few other dirty dishes to be washed in the morning by servants. That was another thing she was going to have to get used to. Not doing housework and stuff. There were other people who would wash her clothes, clean up her messes and stuff. It was mildly annoying to her, because sometimes, if she was in the right mood for it, cleaning helped her soothe her nerves.

A sound caught her attention, and she moved forward, cautious about her movements. The sound repeated, and she whipped her head around, moving in a different direction this time. It was coming from a room on the east side of the house, near to where she was. Stepping forward carefully and on her guard, she quietly opened the door and stepped into the room. The sight that met her eyes caused them to widen, and she nearly screamed.

"What the fuck are you doing in here?"

* * *

Gaara sighed. He was sitting in his Kazekage chair, working on last minute reports and cursing himself for wondering what Sakura was doing at that moment. Probably sleeping. Something he should be doing as well, but he was far to alert to even consider it. All he could think about was how tomorrow he was going to be wed to Sakura, and how his anger at the entire situation had been dulled by the moment they'd shared when they'd joined together.

He hated to admit it, even to himself, but a part of him was looking forward to being married to Sakura, and that part of him was situated between his thighs. He wanted her again. And again and again. The fact that they would be married, and required to do this, only made him feel good, and that was something he was trying to come to terms with.

Gaara sighed and stood, moving to the window. The sight of his village blanketed in night was something that was permanently ingrained in his memory, thanks to his years of insomnia caused by being a demon's vessel. It had been the only time he could escape the hateful glares, since the ones who shot them at him were asleep at that time. Night was a time when he could relax and forget his troubles, but ever since he started to sleep, that time had been taken from him, for the most part.

He could still stay up all night if he wanted to, going without sleep as he had in the past. But the sleep that he did have had ruined him, and he would often feel tired just from staying up a little bit late. Even though right now he was wide awake, usually he would be exhausted, though he could fight it off if necessary. He just usually gave in to the temptation to sleep.

Just like he'd given in to the temptation that was his intended. The beautiful Haruno Sakura, who would be Sabaku no Sakura in just over twelve hours. Gaara was horrified at himself for the anticipation that curled inside him, and he knew that the wedding night was one he was going to remember for a very long time to come. In any case, once the wedding was over, there would be a whole week for him to explore his bride, since he was being forced to take that much time off.

Looking back at his desk, he decided that he really didn't want to go back to it, and instead went to an adjoining room where there was a bed that he used when he was here late at night. Deciding to get some sleep, Gaara removed most of his clothes and settled into the comfortable mattress, determined to get a few hours sleep at least.

* * *

"Oh! Err… Hi, Sakura-chan!"

"Naruto!" Sakura growled, glaring at her friend. "What the hell are you doing?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head rather sheepishly. "I-er... just exploring," he told her. "I, um, couldn't sleep."

The pinkette sighed. "Me neither," she admitted and went and sat on the bed that was in the room.

Naruto joined her and put an arm around her shoulder, letting her lean on his. "Can't sleep?" he asked, then added, "Probably wedding jitters. Or maybe you're worried about the teme turning up?"

"I just don't think he'll hurt me," Sakura said. "Gaara's convinced that he will. He told me to give up on him, but I can't do that. He was our team mate and friend, there's just no way I can ignore that!"

Naruto patted her head comfortingly. "I know," he agreed. "I'm on your side about this. I don't think he'll hurt you, either. Huh, maybe we're just being naïve."

"Well, we can be naïve together, then," Sakura declared, sitting up straighter. "So what if it's stupid? We have hope for him, and that's more than most people get these days!"

"That's right," Naruto agreed. "He was my best friend, and there's no way I'll give up on him, dattebayo! Just you wait and see! Sasuke will come back to Konoha, and we'll be friends again and everything will be alright!"

Sakura couldn't help but grin at his enthusiasm, though a random thought had her hoping that her best friend wasn't going to be let down. She refused to dwell on that thought, though, and ruthlessly pushed it to the side. Suddenly Naruto sat back down, and he sighed, moving his gaze to her.

"Ok," he declared. "Now that that's out of the way, there's something we need to talk about."

"And what might that be?" Sakura asked, though she had a feeling she already knew what it was.

"Gaara," the blond said, confirming her suspicions. "What the heck is going on with you two? He wouldn't tell me anything earlier when I confronted him, so maybe you can tell me?"

Sakura sighed. "He's resented me since I got here," she confided. "I think that he was against this wedding, even though he'd agreed to it. So he'd been taking it out on me by being cruel."

"Cruel?" Naruto demanded. "I ought to give him a thwack over the head for the way he's been!"

"Don't be mean!" Sakura snapped. "Most of his anger, at least I think, is because he was fighting the fact that he liked me. You know, that way."

Naruto grinned. "So he was horny and frustrated? OW!"

Sakura had just punched him really hard. "Don't be so crude!" she snapped at him once more. "Even though you're basically right. I figured it all out earlier when we…"

Sakura was blushing suddenly, and a slow grin formed on Naruto's face. "You two had sex!" he snickered, earning himself another thump. "OW! It's true, isn't it? Is that why he was so defensive with me earlier? Man, that would explain everything!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I confronted him earlier, he kept blowing off my questions. Does that mean you two did it after you both disappeared, then?"

Sakura nodded and sighed. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan," Naruto comforted as he put an arm around her shoulder. "It will all work out. I just know it will! Now, you need to get some sleep so you can be even more beautiful for your wedding tomorrow!"

Sakura pushed him playfully but stood anyway and went to go do as he suggested.

* * *

Light was flickering over the horizon as a caravan arrived in the city. They were let through immediately because they were well known to the inhabitants of Suna, and well trusted. There was absolutely no reason to suspect them of foul play, and even now, they had only the best of intentions.

In one of the wagons a young man sat, staring around at the village. He'd only been with the caravan for a few days, but already they were treating him like he was one of them. They had found him wandering in the desert, and after he'd told them he was going to Suna, they'd offered for him to go with them, and he'd readily agreed. The old woman in charge of the troupe, Hana, had been delighted to have him along, and he'd found himself being surrounded by warmth and caring, something that had been denied him a long time.

As they rattled into the village, he looked over at the building he'd come to see, the Kazekage tower. Was she in there? Probably not. After all, she was most likely in the residence of the Kazekage's. How was she going to react at seeing him? She probably knew he was coming, since he knew he'd been spotted as he'd travelled. But he'd lost his trackers not long before joining the caravan, so he wasn't too worried about that.

As it was, there were too many people that knew he was coming here. That was why he'd accepted the offer from the nomads. Getting in unnoticed would be easier this way, and from what he'd overheard, they wouldn't be hassled once they arrived. And his assumptions had proven to be correct. So he sat back and allowed these people to lead him straight towards his goal, his former team mate, Haruno Sakura.

**So there you go. I have to go to work, so I'm not going to proof it, so if there are mistakes, tough. Review please!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Updated! Yay!. I'm not very talkative right now.**

**Don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Twelve**

Standing on a small step in the middle of the room, arms held out straight at her side, Sakura let out a long-suffering sigh. Last minute alterations were being made to her shiromuku wedding ensemble, an expert seamstress making the adjustments as a judgemental Ino and Temari looked on critically. The woman, Touko, was frowning as the two blond kunoichi made constant suggestions and criticised, and she wasn't the only one getting annoyed with them. Sakura was getting a massive headache from their nattering.

Finally, she snapped. "That's it!" she yelled. "You two, out!"

Ino's mouth, which had opened to complain once again, hung like that for a moment before it snapped shut. "Geeze, forehead," she muttered. "You're being such a bridezilla right now!"

"No, I'm not!" Sakura snapped. "Really, you'd think this was _your_ wedding! But let me tell you both, it's not, and you can just leave Touko alone! She's doing a wonderful job with my uchikake, and I _am _going to look perfect for the ceremony, no matter what you're saying!"

Touko smiled gratefully, and then the two of them glared at Ino and Temari. "Um, sorry Sakura," Temari murmured. "Uh… maybe I'll go see how Gaara and Kankurou are going. Coming, Ino?"

"Um… sure."

The two of them left in a hurry, and once Touko was finished with the uchikake, she left too, telling the nervous bride that she would send in Yumeka and Fuuko, who were going to be doing Sakura's makeup, hair and also her tsuno kakushi.

As of yesterday, Tsunade shishou had arrived, and she was preparing for the part she had to play. Alongside Ebizou-san, she was standing in as one of the nakoudo for the ceremony. The main ceremony would only have those two, her parents, Gaara's siblings and their closest friends. After the ceremony in the jinja, they were going to make a public appearance so that the people of Suna could see them as a united front, as well as giving them the opportunity to cheer the newlyweds. Then they would move on to greet guests for the kekkon hiroen, spending hours there until they were finally alone.

That alone was slightly worrying Sakura. Not the part about the fact that they were expected to consummate their wedding, but the fact that they'd already done it. She was nervous about the fact that, having come together so passionately and slightly violently, that it was going to be extremely awkward. At least, that was how she felt. It would be weird, and she really didn't like weird.

In any case, there wasn't much more time to dwell over it, as Yumeka and Fuuko arrived and began to work their magic on her.

...

Gaara was having no problems himself. He got ready on his own, since he'd given death glares to anyone who'd tried to approach him. He was already wearing his montsuki haori hakama, the only thing he hadn't fixed yet was his hair. It was a mess on his head, and he was tempted to leave it like that in silent protest to this whole thing. His montsuki was in the traditional Wind colours, blue and white, though he would have preferred to actually wear his Kazekage robes for this. But his siblings and the elders had been adamant about maintaining tradition, so here he was.

He sighed. In any case, it was only three or four hours until he would stand next to Sakura and the two of them would become man and wife. After that, there was nothing he could do, and any protest he had would be moot by that point. Still, he'd been thinking lately that maybe he should just let it all stand, and try to make the best of this situation. At least he wasn't marrying some shrill official or noble's daughter, that would be unbearable! Sakura at least was self-sufficient, and wouldn't require a husband to molly-coddle her. She'd probably use her monster strength if he tried.

Kankurou should be here soon. His brother was going to be standing beside him for the wedding, and they were also going to arrive at the same time. Gaara knew that Sakura would be only ten minutes behind him, giving him that long to fidget nervously, like most grooms do, according to Naruto and Shikamaru. Naruto had laughed and made jokes about how nervous Shikamaru had been at his wedding before Ino'd turned up, late apparently. The kyuubi container had told him that she'd wanted to make a dramatic entrance, and she had definitely done so.

If Sakura was late, there were some people whom he believed wouldn't appreciate it. Like Temari for instance. But the more he thought on it, the more Gaara realised that Sakura would never turn up late. It wasn't her style. And it was more than a little disturbing to think that he knew what Sakura's 'style' would be. That woman was already underneath his skin enough! Dammit!

The door burst open and Gaara immediately tensed himself, ready for a fight. But as soon as he realised who'd barged in, he relaxed. It was typical Kankurou behaviour to just barge in on him like this. He sighed.

"You're late," he remarked.

Kankurou pouted. "Only by about like… five minutes," he told him after a quick glance at a clock. "In any case, I think Sakura kicked Temari and Ino out, so they might be headed over this way. Is Baki here yet?"

Gaara shook his head whilst inwardly groaning. The last thing he needed was his sister coming here and annoying him! Kankurou moved over to the door that adjoined another room to get himself ready, and as he did that, there was a knock at the door. As predicted, it was Temari, but she seemed to have ditched Ino, for which Gaara was immensely grateful.

"Hey, squirt," Temari greeted, falling back on a secret nickname she'd had for him when they were younger. "How's it going? Is Kankurou here yet?"

"He's getting ready," Gaara informed her, indicating the other room.

"Oh, good," his sister said. "Sakura kicked me and Ino out. We were being a bit rude I suppose. But anyway, she's going to be ready on time, so everything is going smoothly."

Gaara merely grunted at this information, then wondered how he could manage to kick his sister out as well. But he needn't have worried. After making sure that the two of them were on schedule, she excused herself and muttered something about going to find Naruto so that she could make sure he didn't embarrass Sakura, or herself, for the wedding.

There was another knock at the door, and this time when it opened, there was a sombre looking Baki there. "What is it?"

...

A hooded figure roamed through the streets, which were alight with festivities. The young man in question was ignoring all this, for the most part, determined in his single-minded goal to find _her_. Sasuke was keeping his chakra at a bare minimum, indistinguishable from any random civilian, so no one should be able to sense him here. Any time he passed by a shinobi he held his breath anyway, though they really shouldn't be able to tell him from any other person.

"…there's no sign of it."

A voice, one that he knew well, cut into his thoughts. Acting as nonchalantly as possible, he kept himself calm and listened.

"But s-surely there's some indication…?"

Sasuke risked a peek and saw Hyuuga Hinata, Hatake Kakashi and two sand nins talking. "We can't be sure he's here yet," his old sensei was saying.

"And yet the description we got fits him perfectly," one of the sand nins said.

"If we jump to conclusions right now, we could mess it up," the other one remarked. "In any case, we should still tell the Kazekage."

"I'll leave that to you, Baki-san," Kakashi spoke, addressing the second nin. "Just make sure that Gaara doesn't do anything too rash, you know how he's been about this whole 'Sasuke' matter. Hinata, go make sure that Sakura is alright, and don't let on about Sasuke."

Baki and Hinata left, in different directions, then the other sand nin spoke, "I really hope that my brother's wrong about the Uchiha. That would cause too much of a ruckus if he really were to try anything."

So, that was Kankurou, then.

"You should go to Gaara as well," Kakashi was saying. "You have to get ready for the wedding as well."

"Good point," Kankurou said. "I'm not going to say anything to Gaara, though. He's better at breaking this kind of news anyway. Later."

Once Kankurou was gone, Kakashi spoke, "I know you're there, Sasuke."

Not really surprised that his old sensei had sensed him, Sasuke stepped forward. "Where's Sakura?" he demanded.

Kakashi turned to look at him and sighed.

...

Yumeka and Fuuko had arrived and were getting her ready. The full length mirror in front of them gave Sakura a really good look at what they were doing, and she rather vainly had to admit, she was beautiful! But naturally, she wasn't going to let it go to her head. Unlike Ino-pig, who'd apparently been the Bridezilla she'd accused Sakura of being earlier. Hinata had relayed a few horror stories about the whole thing when they'd talked the other night.

In any case, soon it would be time to go to the jinja, and Gaara would be there waiting for her. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Sakura concentrated on the fact that she was getting married. Even though Ino pig had beaten her to it, the fact that Sakura was getting married was a reason to celebrate. Of course, she chose to deliberately forget whom it was she was marrying and fall back on her old girlish dreams of the perfect wedding.

Basically, she was getting everything she wanted from this marriage, except love. A strong and handsome man, a beautiful uchikake, an absolutely gorgeous cake that she'd snuck down to see earlier that morning, and both of her parents there to watch. Sure, her original fantasies had been about Sasuke, but once she stopped giving a shit about him that way, she got creative, making up the perfect guy in her head. It was something she'd done whenever she'd felt particularly down, and had felt the need to wander off from reality, if only for a little while. But it wasn't serious, just a reality escape.

Now that it was coming true, though, she was happy. This was her day, no matter how it came about, and she would be damned if she was going to let her overly protective and whack-job fiancé ruin _that _part for her! No matter how good he kissed, no matter how good he was at sex… Desperately shaking those thoughts away, Sakura returned her attention to the women who were making her look beautiful.

...

Gaara was waiting for Kankurou to finish when there was a slight knock and Baki let himself in. "What is it?" he asked.

Baki bowed low before speaking, "My Lord Kazekage. There have been unconfirmed sightings of the Uchiha in Suna."

Gaara stiffened. The Uchiha was here now? No matter how 'unconfirmed' it may be, he couldn't risk Sakura's safety one bit. Closing his eyes, he reached out and used some stray sand near where Sakura was getting ready to see if anything was amiss. He found his bride easily enough, and wait! There it was!

"Uchiha!" he growled, opening his eyes.

Understanding what Gaara would have just done, Baki's own eyes narrowed in understanding. "I'll get some men over there right away," he said. "We'll meet you there."

But Gaara was gone before his old sensei had even finished his words.

...

Something was wrong, she could feel it. Yumeka and Fuuko were already gone, and Sakura was alone now. A sound caught her attention and she whirled around, but nothing was there.

"Hello?" she called, painfully aware that there was no way she would be able to defend herself, dressed as she was.

The sound of a plate smashing to the ground caught her attention, and her head whipped back around, but still there was nothing. "Naruto?" she called. "Is that you? This isn't funny!"

Still no answer, and her heart was beating a million beats a minute. What was going on? Who was there? Sakura had no answer. But then a voice spoke right behind her.

"Hello Sakura."

She turned and came face to face with Uchiha Sasuke for the first time in a long time.

**Ok, so I wanna say that I don't hate Sasuke, and when you review, consider that.**

**Look! I've got a glossary! Neat.**

_Uchikake: T__raditional wedding kimono used for the ceremony__._

_Tsuno kakushi: __A white headdress or hood also used for the ceremony that means, "To hide horns" since the bride will also usually be wearing many ornaments in her hair as well. Another reason for the hood is that it's to symbolize that the bride will carry out her role as wife with patience and serenity._

_Shiromuku: The whole wedding ensemble for the bride._

_Montsuki haori hakama: Traditional groom's kimono._

_Nakoudo: Matchmaker. A traditional role in a wedding._

_Jinja: Shinto shrine._

_Kekkon hiroen: Wedding reception._


	13. Chapter 13

**This is the last chapter, except for the epilogue. Anyway, I apologise in advance to those who don't like how this chapter goes, but it was planned long before now, so tough. Lemon ahead, too.**

**Don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Thirteen**

"Hello Sakura."

Sakura turned around, coming face to face with her long-lost team mate. "Sasuke," she returned.

His eyes roved over her, taking in her wedding attire. "You look beautiful," he told her. "The uchikake looks good on you."

She was more than a little confused by his choice of words, mostly because Sasuke had never, in his entire life, ever said anything to compliment her, not really. And calling her beautiful? Where did that come from?

"What are you doing here, Sasuke?" she asked carefully, keeping herself on guard.

He shrugged. "I heard you were marrying the Kazekage," he told her. "I really didn't think that you would do something like this, marry someone you didn't love. Or am I wrong? Do you love him, Sakura?"

"What's it to you?" Sakura demanded stiffly. "Who I do or don't love is none of your business. Especially since _you _threw my love out like yesterday's trash."

"I know, and I'm sorry."

Sakura's jaw dropped to the floor. Well, maybe not literally, but she was so shocked to hear an apology come out of the mouth of her first crush, there was simply no way her brain could work. Finally, she did manage to make _some _sense of the chaos.

"I-I, er, you're _sorry_?"

"Is it really so surprising that I'd apologise?" Sasuke asked.

"Frankly, yes," he was told. "What happened to the avenger who never needed anyone, who did things his own way and had no need to apologise?"

Sasuke winced slightly at that, then said, "He died when the last member of his family did."

After a moment's silence, Sakura asked softly, "So it's true, you've killed Itachi?"

"Yes and no."

"What? How can it be yes _and _no? Did you or didn't you?"

"We battled, I was winning, but then he…"

Sasuke stopped and looked away, only increasing Sakura's curiosity. "What happened, Sasuke?"

"My brother died because he was sick," he said. "Our fight had nothing to do with it, except aggravating his condition. He told me he was poisoned a long time ago, but refused to tell me who did it."

The look on his face led Sakura to only one conclusion. "You regret killing him, don't you?"

Sasuke nodded, and she sighed. "Wait here," she told him. "There's something I want to get. It's just through there, in the next room. Don't go anywhere this time, Sasuke."

A reluctant smile formed at the edge of his lips. "Don't worry, I won't go anywhere."

oooooooooo

The instant he appeared in the room, he felt him. The Uchiha was standing there, holding the tsuno kakushi Sakura was to wear. Rage rose in him that this _traitor _was touching something that belonged to _his _bride, and Gaara snapped. He launched his sand at the surprised Uchiha, wrapping it around him.

"Gaara!" The sound of Sakura's voice reached his ears, but didn't penetrate his rage. "Gaara! Let him go! He's not here to hurt me!"

A hand fell to his outstretched arm, but he refused to let go. "Why is he here?" Gaara demanded. "Why is he near you? I told you, you're not running off!"

"And I told you that I wasn't going to!" Sakura exclaimed. "Just let him go, Gaara. He's not a threat!"

Finally, Gaara looked down into Sakura's beautiful eyes, then caught himself up short. Beautiful? He realised it was true. For the first time, he admitted to himself that he truly wanted Sakura as his own, and he decided that he would kill anyone who tried to take her away from him. Starting with the Uchiha. But Sakura must have seen something flicker in his eyes before he looked away.

"Don't kill him, please," she whispered.

Gaara looked down at his intended once more, and knew that he couldn't deny her. All this time fighting her presence, and she had beaten him. So he let his sand fall away, and allowed her to pull him to her. His own arms came up to wrap around her and he closed his eyes, breathing her in. He nuzzled her necked and whispered her name.

It was then that Baki and three others decided to burst in, and they immediately started to go for the Uchiha. "Stop!" The order came not from Gaara, but from Sakura.

"I'm sorry, Lady Sakura," Baki began, but he hesitated when he realised the scene that was playing out between his Kazekage and his bride.

"You will stop," Sakura ordered, and in an intensely confused moment, Baki and his men did so.

oooooooooo

It was all so surreal. Standing here, in the middle of the room, holding Gaara to her as if he was her lover, in every sense, not just the physical. For some reason, she had the feeling that he was in utter defeat, and wondered why he felt like that. Looking down at the man in her arms, she realised that he would do anything and everything to protect her, and she felt really bad about arguing with him about all the safety measures he'd put up to protect her. Just because she hadn't believed that she needed them…

But there was still the issue of Sasuke to deal with. Her former team mate sat there in the corner, just watching everything that was happening. He looked up and saw her watching him, and he smirked. She knew he was teasing her about the fact that Gaara wasn't letting her go, and she blushed and looked away.

A commotion sounded from down the hall, and Sakura knew that even her shishou could bet who that was and win. "WHERE IS HE?" Naruto hollered. "WHERE IS THAT TEME? I'M GONNA BEAT HIS ASS FOR RUNNING OFF WITH THAT PAEDOPHILE! LET ME AT HIM!"

Looking over, Sakura saw that Sasuke looked a little worried, and she returned his knowing smirk when he looked her way. Sasuke frowned, then stood. Gaara stirred at this action, but Sakura held on tight to him. Naruto burst through the door then, and he zeroed in on his former best friend.

"THERE YOU ARE, YOU BASTARD!" he yelled. "YOU TEME! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT WE ALL WENT THROUGH TO GET YOU BACK?"

"NARUTO!" Sakura yelled, and the blonde turned to look at her. "Shut up!"

"But Sakura-chan…"

"But nothing!" Sakura snapped. "This is my wedding day, and you are going to make sure that you don't do anything to disrupt it, do you understand me, Uzumaki?"

Naruto gulped and shied away from the death glare he was receiving. "Uh, sure thing, Sakura-chan," he conceded.

The reminder of the wedding seemed to stir Gaara further, so Sakura quickly said, "Naruto, you should keep Sasuke with you. I still have to get ready, and so does Gaara. Can you please do that for me?"

Naruto brightened. "Sure thing, Sakura-chan!" he declared. "After all, can't let a teme like this get in the way, can we?"

Sasuke glared at him for that, but the kyuubi container just ignored him, grabbing hold of him and dragging him off, yapping about all the things he was going to do to him once Sakura was safely married. The pinkette in question sighed. She knew Naruto wanted to beat Sasuke up, but she also knew from reports over the years that he wasn't going to have an easy time doing so. Naruto may have vastly improved, but she didn't doubt Sasuke had, either.

But now she had to get Gaara to leave so that he would get ready. However, she needn't have worried too much, because Kankurou came forward to take charge of that.

"Come on Gaara," the puppeteer said, "you still haven't gotten ready properly. You gotta get your hair right, after all."

There was a snort of derision from Gaara, but he allowed himself to be pulled away, though not before whispering, "You're mine," in Sakura's ear. It wasn't a threat, in all honesty, she could swear it was more like a promise. She sighed. This whole thing was just so surreal, even she had to admit that she was surprised by the outcome.

oooooooooo

Leaving Sakura there by herself was difficult, and Gaara wasn't sure how he allowed his brother to pull him away. All of his possessive instincts were screaming at him to never let his woman out of his sight, and he spared a thought that his defeat at Sakura's hands was depressing. Still, now that he was conquered, there was no way he was letting her get away. She'd stolen him away, now she was left with the consequences.

Gaara ignored the part of himself that knew she hadn't done it deliberately.

But now he stood here, ready to be married, and waiting for her to arrive. In all the confusion earlier, he hadn't really taken notice of her uchikake, so when she arrived, that would be the first real look he had of her. She was going to be walking into the jinja with Tsunade and Ebizou escorting her and….

She was here.

Gaara's breath caught as his eyes fell upon the beauty he was marrying, and he couldn't help but be drawn in once more. When she reached the small altar, she stood beside him, and he was forced to pay attention as the Shinto priest began chanting. The ceremony was too long, in his opinion, but really only because he wanted to disappear into their room and possibly never come out, no matter how unrealistic that was. In any case, he knew Temari and Kankurou, and even all their other friends and new attachments to his family wouldn't let it happen. There were still the symbolic gifts to kami, the kekkon hiroen to be attended, so there was no foreseeable escape.

Finally, the ceremony ended, and the two of them made their way out together, where his people were waiting. The gifts they were to offer stood before a small altar outside the shrine. This wasn't normally done outside, but since he was the Kazekage, Gaara knew that he had to show his people something of the ceremony, and this was what was chosen. So he and Sakura stood before the altar, picked up their gifts, offered a small prayer to kami, and placed them on the plinth. A cheer went up from the assembled throng.

The reception ceremony was a strain on his patience. It seemed everybody had something to say about them, especially Naruto and Kankurou, who didn't seem to want to shut up. Not even Temari could stop them, and she didn't seem like she was trying hard enough, either. In any case, the whole thing was torture, and Gaara was glad when it was all over.

Now he stood before Sakura in front of their marital bed, and she looked nervous. He reached out a hand and stroked her cheek, and her eyes closed at the touch.

"Sakura," he whispered, and her eyes opened once more as she looked up at him.

"Gaara," she whispered back. "Do you hate me?"

He shook his head. "No," he answered honestly. "Not anymore. You're mine, and I will protect you with everything I have."

"Then you can let me protect you too," Sakura told him. "We're married, _partners_, and I want you to respect that."

Gaara nodded, feeling the need to do anything to please her. Once he'd lost his inner battle against here, there was nothing standing between him and whatever she wanted. Pulling her to him, he leaned down and kissed her even as his hands began to pull at the yukata she wore. Sakura responded eagerly, kissing him back and pulling at his clothes as well. He pushed her back until they reached the bed, then gently lowered her down onto it.

Laying his length along her, Gaara continued to attack her clothes, pushing and pulling until she lay naked beneath him. Sakura also managed to remove his, and once they were both nude, hands began to wander. They may have already been together, but it was nothing like this. Their first foray had been desperate and rough, but this was gentle and almost loving, a learning curve for them both.

Sakura gasped as Gaara's hand wandered down her body and made contact with that part of her he wanted so desperately to taste. His fingers slid along her opening, and he felt her legs part instinctively, encouraging him to go deeper. Her back arched as his fingers slid in, and he watched in fascination as his ministrations brought her to orgasm.

Gaara slid his fingers out of her, his hardened length throbbing with the need to bury himself deep inside of her. So he gave in. Aligning himself with her perfection, Gaara slid his cock inside his wife. Sakura whimpered at his presence, and her legs came up shakily to hold him to her. He stayed still inside her for a moment, then began to move.

They built up a rhythm that kept them evenly paced, and Gaara felt himself falling even further. He felt himself reach that point where all thought was focused on her, where nothing else existed but the carnal act they engaged in, and when the moment burst, and he released himself high within her, he knew that there was no way that he was ever letting this woman go.

**I researched Japanese weddings as best I could, but I'm no expert, and this probably isn't exact, so no complaining, I **_**know**_** already! Epilogue is next, but anyway, review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Not very long, but there wasn't really anything more to say. The epilogue is really just to set up the sequel, which isn't a GaaSaku, but is based on the other pairing in this chapter. I'm working on the prologue for it already, though I don't know when it will be up. Later today? Tomorrow? Ages? In any case, sorry for the crappy length, and please enjoy.**

**I don't own Naruto.**

**Epilogue**

A pair of eyes glared at the Kage tower, knowing just what was going on in there. A sigh was released and the gaze moved away from the newlywed's direction and instead rested in the direction of home. The owner of the eyes wasn't sure what was going to happen to him now, but he was sure that his former friend and rival was going to make sure that he stayed with them. Not that he was planning on going anywhere else.

Another sigh, and then Uchiha Sasuke stiffened as he heard someone come up behind him. Turning, he saw Hyuuga Hinata making her way over to him, and he wondered why. All of his memories of her gave him the impression that she was shy, as had her actions at the wedding. Her chronic blushing hadn't seemed to disappear with time…

"Hyuuga," he greeted her, and no surprise, she blushed.

"Sasuke," she spoke, no stutter at all. Maybe she _had _made progress after all. "I wanted to see h-how you are."

Then again, maybe not. "I'm fine," he told her, turning his attention back to the kage tower.

They sat there in silence awhile, then Hinata spoke once more, "I-I heard that Sakura st-stopped Gaara from killing you."

"Obviously," Sasuke said, no emotion in his tone, "otherwise I wouldn't be here right now."

Hinata blushed, and he sighed. He really wanted her to leave, there was no reason for her to stay. But he had to admit, it was comforting to have another person there.

"Did you love her?"

The question surprised him, mostly because there really hadn't been time for him to actually fall for his former team mate, not properly anyway. He looked down at the woman next to him and asked, "How could I possibly love her?"

Hinata blushed and looked away from him. "I-I guess that's true," she said. "After all, you only ever knew her as a fangirl. But she's not like that anymore, a-and I th-think you realised that earlier."

Sasuke sighed. "Maybe," he admitted, but refused to be drawn into further conversation.

So the two of them sat there for some time, until Hinata fell asleep against his shoulder, then he returned her to her room and resumed his contemplation of the desert.

oooooooooooooo

Two lovers entangled in a passionate embrace had no idea of anything that was happening outside their room, nor did they have any desire to. One of them because he had finally found peace in the form of the beautiful woman wrapped intimately around him, and the other because she'd found the love she'd always craved, and feared she would never find.

END

**I think it was sweet. Don't you think it was sweet? Reviews are appreciated, as usual.**


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